That which gives us Hope
by potionsmistress26
Summary: A forbidden love. Their happiness, their connection, was the fuel to the Dark Lord's fire. And Severus Snape was terrified. For this could bring about the end of it all... HG/HP, and SS.
1. Chapter 1

This is my first fanfiction story. I do not own Harry Potter, nor anything related to Harry Potter. Please read and review. Thank you!

Severus Snape was so very, _very _tired.

In the days that proceeded Albus Dumbledore's death, he found himself to be quite alone with his thoughts. Once his actions behind that terrible day were explained to the Hogwart's staff, they began to slowly and carefully put their trust in him once again, but yet they kept their distance. And for very good reason. The Dark Lord was regaining strength, day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute. The students at Hogwarts went about their every day lives, attending classes, gathering for meals in the great hall, even walking within the grounds of Hogwarts to take in the cool, clean air and warm sun. The teachers continued teaching classes. Minerva McGonagle was Deputy Headmistress, and Severus Snape relinquished his post as Potions Master after much inquiry and dispute. Quidditch continued to be played. Hogsmede trips were rare, but occurred every few weeks or so. If you paid careful attention, you could sense that something, ever so slight, was hovering in the back minds of the Professors at Hogwarts. Was it fear? Fear that Hogwarts could once again be attacked? It is precisely this, coupled with the impending plans of the Dark Lord that kept the Order of the Phoenix in existence.

The Order met every week or so, in Number 12 Grimmauld Place. The meetings were organized, with little room for laughter or joking. You will find that when lives are in danger, rarely is there laughter. Severus Snape continued to spy on the Dark Lord, feeding information to the Order as once arranged by the late Albus Dumbledore. It was the least he could do in order to honor the old man and help the Order, as many moons ago, did Dumbledore hear Severus' cry for help.

The Trio were in their 7th and final year. As with the professors of Hogwarts, if a student was keen enough to key into the behaviors of the Trio, they would find that the group seldom laughed, or joked, or kidded around as much as they used to. No, things had definitely changed. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were soon inducted into the Order after the death of Dumbledore. They too attended weekly meetings, added appropriate insight into the situations that arose, and offered to help out any way they could. They lived up to the Gryffindor courage that was so admired by other houses.

As the Trio's behaviors changed, so did their emotions. Harry and Hermione, ever the best friends, soon found themselves in a twist of romance and passion. So often does this happen when two people work so closely together. Ron, on the other hand, did not approve at first of this relationship, for he had developed feelings for Hermione as well, yet resigned himself to the fact that it was just not meant to be. He gave his approval to Harry, yet warned him to be careful. Ron was in fact, not the only individual to warn the pair of their fragile emotions.

The Order could not help to be aware of the growing relationship between Harry and Hermione. A few stolen glances, hands clasped beneath the oak table in the kitchen of Number 12 Grimmauld Place, and even the sight of two faces barely inches apart in deep conversation regarding the recent events of the wizarding world were signs that there was more than friendship between these two individuals. Everyone saw it. You would have to be completely daft not to notice it. Even the students at Hogwarts acknowledged the relationship between Mr. Potter and Ms. Granger. The Order, on the other hand, did not approve. No one would outright state that it was inappropriate, but they did in fact want the pair to be happy. After all, happiness was so rare these days. But one person, one person alone soon discovered the bond between the two Order members. How he knew, it was not certain. But he knew, and he conveyed this to his loyal servants. He knew that this would be the young boy's undoing. A forbidden love that would possibly interfere and may even one day bring the Order down to their ultimate demise. He would use all this to his advantage, in order to kill the boy who lived. Their happiness, their connection, was the fuel to his fire. A plan was soon in the works…

…And Severus Snape was terrified. For this could bring about the end of it all.


	2. Chapter 2

It was close to midnight, two weeks after the new year had begun. Snow was falling, and blanketed the exterior of the Castle. It really was beautiful. It was also completely peaceful and utterly serene. The Order has just adjourned their latest meeting, and the pack of teachers, followed by the Trio apparated to the outside of Hogwarts and entered the Castle. The Trio did not have an enforced curfew on nights that meetings were held. They did not loiter in the halls, but often traveled up in silence to their dormitories, so instructing them on hurrying to bed appeared to be futile, least unnecessary. Biddings of good night ensued this night, and the three students travelled up the stairs and found themselves facing the open doors to the Great Hall, where they stopped for a brief moment.

'Well guys, I don't know about you but I'm beat,' said Ron, half talking and half yawning. His eyes had dark circles beneath them, and he looked as though he would fall asleep at any moment.

'Yeah, I'm tired too. I'll be up there,' Harry said pointing up towards the moving staircases leading to Gryffindor Tower, ',,,in just a second.'

After Ron shuffled up step by step towards the Tower, footsteps echoing throughout the empty staircase, Harry made sure he had walked some distance before turning to Hermione.

'How are you feeling?' Harry said in a low tone to Hermione. No one could deny the worried look consuming his face. He looked at her with eyes of love, mixed with concern.

'A bit better,' Hermione said. 'Madam Pomfrey gave me a potion for the nausea, and said that she needed more ingredients for a pepper-up potion, but she would get them from Professor Snape tomorrow afternoon.'

'That sounds good,' said Harry. No doubt he could not mask the concern etched on his face or in his voice. Hermione meant everything to him. She was the reason, he believed, that he had the strength to keep fighting the good fight. If anything were to happen to her, it would break him. Especially now. Especially with the current circumstances.

_For Hermione Granger was pregnant…_

_Flashback_

It was one day after Christmas, and the two were spending most of their free time at Number 12 Grimmauld Place. She had come into his room that night, worried, crying, and with a look of pure defeat across her face. He motioned for her to come lie with him, and she obliged, scooting into bed next to him, under the pile of covers, head resting on his chest, arm snaked around his midsection.

'Harry…' she whispered through tears, '…we're losing, aren't we? He's winning. He's winning, Harry.…why do we keep fighting what can't be won?'

Harry looked down at her, tears brimming in his own eyes. He could feel her desperation, her lack of hope. And then for one moment, he truly regarded what she was saying.

_They were losing_.

Innocent people were being killed. Two weeks ago, to that very night, they had attended the funeral for Mundungus Fletcher, who had been killed by the hands of Lucius Malfoy. Hope, what they had thought they had been clinging onto, was falling by the wayside.

'Harry…' Hermione whispered, pulling Harry out of his thoughts, 'Harry,…are you alright? Are you even listening to me?'

'Hermione…' Harry whispered, 'we need hope. Hope will get us through this. As long as I'm here, as long as I'm with you, we have hope. You mean the world to me, and I will never let you go. Not now. Not ever…'

'Oh Harry,' Hermione looked up at Harry, '…if you're not giving up, then…then neither am I…Harry…I…I….' stuttered Hermione, '…Harry, I think I love you. I mean, I don't _think_. I do. I do love you. I know that something, something wonderful has happened to us within the past few months…Oh, this is coming out so wrong…' Hermione half smiled and blushed considerably, wiping a stray tear from her eye.

Harry looked at her with a smile and said what he had been meaning to say for the past three weeks. 'Hermione Granger, I have loved you from the very beginning – from your big bushy hair, to your big brown eyes…you are everything to me…and…I love you too…with all my heart…I know this is kind of new for us, and I'm not sure where it's going, but…I like it…I really do…I love you,' said Harry.

At that point, Hermione gazed up at Harry, and with her heart full of emotion, and newfound hope, inched up on one elbow to look directly into Harry's brilliant green eyes. Harry, with a look of passion and love, looked at Hermione with all the want in the world, and the two embraced. Passion soon consumed them. A new magic, a deeper, more powerful form of magic, more than they had ever experienced before was felt. And before the sun rose the following morning, a new life had been created. A life conceived by love, passion, and above all…Hope.

_End of flashback_


	3. Chapter 3

_End of Flashback…_

'So…' said Hermione, looking half at the floor and half at the entrance to the Great Hall, '…what should we do? I mean, who do we tell at this point? Poppy swore to secrecy, so for the time being, it is just you, me… and she that know…'

Harry looked at her. 'Good, that will give us some time to think of what to tell the others…I mean if we want them to know…,' said Harry. Of course _they_ would have to know. _They_, meaning _The Order_. Eventually, students would find out too. And what of Hermione's parents? Harry quickly remembered the 'others' that he spoke of, did not include Mr. and Mrs. Granger. The _late_ Mr. and Mrs. Granger.

Yes, by others, this did not include the girl's parents. Hermione's parents had been killed by death eaters in October, so she would not have to explain the current circumstances to them. This was, indeed, unfortunate and utterly devastating for the young witch. She knew that her parents would have been wonderful grandparents, and would welcome a new life even under the current circumstances. Thinking back to this, a sigh escaped her, and she directed her gaze toward the gigantic window that lie in back of the head table in the Great Hall, looking at the perfectly formed snow flakes that continued to fall from the heavens..

Just then, both doors to the Castle opened, spilling in white flakes, a rush of bitter January wind, as well as… a frozen Severus Snape.

Two sets of eyes suddenly turned to the opened doors in mild surprise. Severus had to leave the Order meeting early this night due to the fact that he had been summoned to a Death Eater's meeting. He stated that he would return late, and to let the meeting continue without him, before taking one last glance at Harry and Hermione who were sitting next to each other in the kitchen of Number 12. In that brief instance, he could not help noticing that there was something different…something _different_ about the couple. The thought had left him instantly, and he proceeded to exit the house and apparate to meet with the Dark Lord.

Severus Snape walked in a few steps into the entranceway of the Castle, waved his hands to close the Castle doors, and from the bottom of the steps, looked up at the innocent young pair. He did not think that they would still be awake, knowing that after Order meetings, the Trio headed off to Gryffindor Tower without a single thought.

Severus closed his eyes briefly, opened them up to look at Harry and Hermione, and then let a brief sigh escape his lips before uttering two words that would then change everything:

'_He knows,_' said Severus.

After a brief pause, he continued, still continuing to look up at the pair from the bottom of the steps:

'He knows about you two. He knows that you have become involved. But above all, and perhaps this is what matters most at this point, he knows that you, Ms. Granger, are carrying a most important treasure that has now become a…_priority_ of sorts to the Dark Lord.'

Hermione looked at him for a moment, processing what he had just told them. She then, without even looking at Harry, put her head in her hands and silently shook her head back and forth, muttering '…What have we done…what have we _done_….'. Harry looked over at her, putting an arm around her and speaking soft words of comfort. Severus looked at the boy and girl, and gazed at them with a mixture of anger, pity, …and yes, even a touch of sorrow.

He was, of course, angry at the two of them. How could they have been so _stupid_, so irresponsible? Didn't they care about anyone else? Did they even _fathom_ how this could affect them all? He felt pity for them as well. Pity because they were now in the midst of a rather complicated situation coupled with a less than predictable outcome. And last, but not least, sorrow. In the deepest of his tarnished soul, he felt a touch of sorrow for the young couple. Sorrow that they may end up torn apart, or much worse, dead, two unfortunate casualties of war. Sorrow that there was a life that may _never_ see the light of day. Sorrow that perhaps a young life may be spared with their parents making the ultimate sacrifice, much like the fate of James and Lily Potter.

Harry looked at Severus, and then turned his head to face Hermione who had taken her hands off of her face, a look of absolute terror in her deep brown eyes. Harry then stared back at the potions master, meeting eye to eye.

'How long do you think we have before he does anything about it?' asked Harry with an unmistakable sense of worry in his voice.

'Not long…' replied Severus, 'He will try to do anything to make sure you two do not remain together. In short, Potter, he stated that, and I believe these are his direct words, that he intends to '_break' _you…'

After a brief moment of silence where upon the three individuals avoided eye contact, Severus looked at Harry and Hermione. 'As unfortunate as this all seems, _and by far_ is it unfortunate not to mention _irresponsible_ and _unthinkable,_ we must devise a plan. With or without the help of the Order.' Moments passed, before Hermione spoke:

'A Secret Keeper…' Hermione whispered at the floor, not looking at either of the two men.

'What?' asked Harry, turning his head to look at his beloved.

'A Secret Keeper,' Hermione spoke to Severus, this time more audible, with eyes pleading for help. 'Please Professor - I…I think it's the only way…well for now at least. I mean it's a good start, really…I know…I know that you can protect us…you are close to Vol-…._You know Who,_ and you know what he wants, what he's after…" stammered Hermione. 'You know the Castle is not safe…we may need to flee, to go somewhere that's safe…somewhere that only one person knows where we are…it's not that I don't trust the Order…I _do _trust them, but…but…I trust you…I trust _you_ to be _that _person, Professor Snape…' Hermione stated with conviction. The wheels in her head were turning, and an unmistakable plot was forming in her brain. As if hit by a ton of bricks, Harry, turned and with a stern expression looked at Hermione.

'Hermione, what are you talking about?! We're OK. We're OK at Hogwarts, nothing can harm…' but before Harry could go on any further, his mind flashed to a time when he was with Dumbledore, on the very last night of his life. He could see the dark mark above the Castle, and hear screams of terror and the breaking of glass from below the Tower on which he stood with Dumbledore, and even watched him take his very last breath. That night, harm had come to the castle. People were hurt. From that very night to the current moment, Harry knew in his heart that Hogwarts was not safe. Well, at least not entirely safe. And that meant that _they_ were not safe. All three of them.

Harry looked at Severus. Severus looked back and forth at the two of them, from Harry, to Hermione, and back again. _Such defeat in their eyes_, Severus thought to himself. He had promised, he had promised Dumbledore that he would do anything he could to help the Order. Anything to fight the Headmaster's fight so his death would not have been in vain. Anything to keep safe, the _Boy Who Lived_. And the current situation, surely warranted his assistance. Potter was in great danger, that was more than obvious. But the Granger girl was now involved, and she was,…_is_…with child…with Potter's child, no less. Lily, _dear_ Lil_y_ never had a chance, but Severus vowed to himself that the ever-so-annoying, bushy haired know-it-all, would _not_ end up like his first love. Not if he could help it.

Without saying a word, Severus took his gaze off of them, and walked up the marble steps towards where the two were standing, outside the doors of the Great Hall.

_Yes, it would be done._

As she had said, he did have access to privileged information divulged from the Dark Lord, and he would do anything, _anything_ to remain loyal to the late Headmaster. Without speaking, he motioned them to get inside the Hall. The three made their way through the massive copper and gold doors of the Great Hall, and stood in the middle of the wooden tables, down the center aisle… Hermione and Harry, hand in hand, while Severus closed the doors behind them.


	4. Chapter 4

The doors closed behind them, echoing ever so slightly within the Great Hall, and Severus turned around to face Harry and Hermione. The three stood in the empty hall, the only light being the silver orb that rose in the night sky, reflecting off of the marble floor of the Great Hall. While Severus placed a silencing charm upon the room, Hermione looked up at the windows on the side of the Hall, and noticed how the snow was still falling quite a bit outside the castle. Harry looked at Severus and stated matter-of-factly, 'You sure about this? I mean…what if he finds out that you did this? This could go really bad, but…but how about we…' but before Harry could utter another word, Severus spoke:

'Potter, please stop blabbering of which you know nothing about,' he boldly stated with a slight frown etched on his face. 'Sometimes it _isn't_ all about you. Your blessed Father had no idea placing his secret in the wrong hands would bring his destruction. I suggest you be quiet and let me concentrate...' Severus stated with conviction, as he peered down at Harry.

At this, Hermione tore her gaze from the window and looked at Severus. In a soft voice, she spoke to him:

…'I can't tell you how much I…we…appreciate this. I know you don't have to help us, but…' Hermione was cut off by Severus' hand.

'Ms. Granger, I assure you that I am not choosing to do this based upon my own accord, but none-the-less, it is something that…_obviously_ needs to be done. It will not solve any immediate problems, but…it _is_ better than the alternative,' stated Severus.

'…And what is the alternative?' Asked Harry.

'Doing nothing, Potter. Watching and waiting are things that the Dark Lord desires. A plan not in motion is no plan at all…' stated Severus, and with an annoyed look, said to Harry, '…now if you don't have any more impertinent questions, Potter, may we continue to attend to the matter at hand?'

Harry swallowed, a lump formed in his throat, and nodded to the Potions Master.

Severus took hold of his wand. He looked at the single, shabby piece of wood, regarding it for a moment before looking up at the pair. He looked up, and locked eyes with Hermione, and she in turn gave him a silent nod of approval, a signal that he may begin the incantation.

The Fidelius Charm was, in a sort of ways, complex. The charm itself was not _too_ complex, no…but the circumstances that were at bay made the entire situation…_well_…rather complex. Should anything, _anything_ happen that required both of them to be hidden, Severus was their source. The Potions Master began to speak the words that would allow him to become the couple's secret keeper:

'Do you, Hermione Granger, accept I, Severus Snape to protect you and provide means for your safety as your Secret Keeper?'… And Hermione, with tears brimming in her eyes, stared at the tip of Severus' wand and whispered, '_I do_.'

At that, a silvery wisp spurted forth through the tip of Severus' wand, and snaked itself around the clasped hands of Harry and Hermione. Severus' eyes then focused on Harry. Severus inhaled, and exhaled briefly. At that moment, he never…not in a _million _years, thought that in his miserable life he would ever…_ever _have to perform this spell with the boy he had grown to despise. But even at this point, this very moment... he felt no hate for Harry. None-the-less, he focused on the task at hand, and keeping his wand steady, looked Harry straight in the eye and spoke the next set of words:

'Do you , Harry Potter, accept I, Severus Snape, to protect you and provide means for your safety as your Secret Keeper?' …And Harry, with a look of severe conviction, stared Severus squarely in the eye and stated, '_I do._'

At that point, another wisp of silver surrounded the pair of hands, and it then it outstretched to grasp the wrist of Severus Snape's hand that held the wand. The light turned from silver to a golden color, and then faded away into darkness.

Severus, Harry, and Hermione stood looking at one another, even after the promise was made, and after the light had disappeared. They stood completely still in the moonlit shadows, breathing inaudibly, perhaps not knowing just what to say to one another. It was several moments before Harry looked up at the aged-face of his Potions Professor, and uttered two words that Severus _never _thought he would hear from the Boy Who Lived:

'_Thank you…'_

Severus nodded and looked at Harry and Hermione.

'I suggest the two of you be off to bed,' Severus spoke matter-of-factly. 'We will speak later. If anything arises that is critical to your knowledge, I will contact you. It the mean time, it would be wise if the two of you got some rest…particularly _you_, Ms. Granger.' He said, taking a final look at the young witch.

With a slight smile, silent nod, and a sad look in her eyes, Hermione led Harry out of the Great Hall, leaving a tired and worn out Potions Master in the middle of the Great Hall, with only his thoughts as company.


	5. Chapter 5

Step by step, the young witch and wizard climbed the steps of Hogwarts Castle, past the many sleeping portraits adorning the walls. Harry and Hermione walked together in silence, and in minutes, they eventually arrived at Gryffindor Tower. At the entrance where the Fat Lady's Portrait stood, Hermione suddenly felt a bit uneasy. She stumbled a bit and held onto the wall for support. Harry quickly rushed over to her and grabbed her waist.

'Hermione!,' said Harry, obviously caught off guard, ' are you alright!?'

Hermione closed her eyes, smiled a small smile, and effortlessly regained her balance. 'Harry, I'm fine…just a bit of dizziness…I'm…_Oh Harry_, _stop looking at me like that_ –' Hermione half laughed, half pretended to look annoyed. Harry had a frown upon his face. 'You know, Hermione,' he said, 'I think Snape is right – you really do need some sleep. It must be close to 1 or 2 in the morning…'

Hermione turned and smiled at Harry. She took her hand off the wall, and stepped closer to him. She looked in his brilliant green eyes for a brief moment, before caressing the side of his face and giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. 'Harry,' said Hermione, '…you really are sweet...' Harry directed his eyes to the floor and chuckled. 'Well, I don't know about sweet, Hermione…_concerned_ is more like it…' and after taking a look at the desolate halls that surrounded them, motioned to the portrait and said to Hermione, '…come on, let's get inside.'

Hermione looked at the Fat Lady, muttering the word, _'Boysenberry'_ and took hold of Harry's hand as they walked through the portrait into the common room. The red, ornate area rugs, plush sofa, heavy red and gold curtains that framed the massive glass windows, and slowly dying fire that emitted an orangey glow, were surely a welcomed sight to Harry and Hermione. However, what the pair failed to realize, was a tuft of red hair that was peaking out under a tan blanket situated on the large couch in front of the glowing embers of the fireplace.

'…I know,' continued Harry's hushed conversation, as he and Hermione made their entrance into the room. '…I just can't believe that he did this for us…Do you think…do you think he feels _sorry_ for us? …For the _baby_?'

...And just then, the red tuft of hair that belonged to a Mr. Ronald Weasley moved slightly, and he awoke from his slumber. Ron sat straight up, as if being interrupted from a dream, and with a groggy and scratchy voice, squinted at the pair and spoke to his two best friends:

'Baby…? _Baby?!_ What the _bloody hell_ are you talking about?!' said Ron.

And Harry and Hermione froze in their tracks. For they had failed to mention their predicament to Ron. They had failed to mention to Ron, their best friend, that they, Harry and Hermione, were going to be _parents_.


	6. Chapter 6

It is rarely enjoyable to feel left …_out of the loop, _so they say. It is also rarely enjoyable to experience the event of being slighted, feeling that information…perhaps _privileged_ information…was withheld from you. For on this snowy night, Ronald Weasley, best friend to Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, was feeling precisely this way. Left out. In the dark. Call it what you wish, but Ron was surely in disbelief that his two friends neglected to tell him something so…_life changing_.

After hearing the word 'baby,' he sure did feel one thing: …denial.

He thought to himself_, 'Harry and Hermione? Baby? Are they nuts? No, this is just some joke, really…'_ and as he continued rehashing the scenario over and over in his mind, Harry and Hermione both had the wheels spinning in their heads as well. _'What were they going to tell him?...'_

It was Harry who spoke first. He let go of Hermione's hand, and stepped forward towards the couch.

'Look, Ron…I know you're angry…but this is something I've…' looking at Hermione, '…_we've_ been meaning to tell you…I mean it just happened you know?...we were just looking for the right time to tell you, or something…' Harry trailed off.

Ron took his gaze from Harry and placed it onto Hermione. With a scrunched-up look upon his face, he spoke to Hermione:

'You think that this is OK, that I'm just going to be like_, 'Oh great my two best friends decided to hook up one night, and now they're going to be parents _and all this…all this in the…in the middle OF A WAR?!? ' Ron's speech became rapid and echoed within the common room.

'Ron,' said Hermione, taking a few steps forward to sit next to Ron on the sofa in front of the fireplace, 'stop yelling. For Christ sake, did you think this was _planned?!..._did you honestly think that I did this on purpose?!...' asked Hermione, her voice cracking and tears beginning to fill her eyes.

'No!' shouted Ron, '…but it's still…I mean…_seriously_ guys, ' his voice becoming a bit softer, '…what are you going to do? I mean this is all real, isn't it? I'm not dreaming?...' And as he looked at Harry and Hermione, the pair silently shook their heads no.

'_Blimey_…' Ron uttered softly. 'Did you tell…_anyone_? I mean I know I'm pissed that I just found out and all, but…I mean you have to tell the Order eventually. They'll find out you know… and boy, they are gonna be _pissed_ –' said Ron.

'Yea Ron…we know,' interjected Harry, the sound of defeat unmistakable in his voice.

'Well, for now,' said Hermione, '…it's you me and Harry that know…Oh and Madame Pomfrey…' and she added with a quiet voice, looking down at the carpet, '…_and Professor Snape,_' she added, her voice trailing off quietly.

'Snape?!' shouted Ron, 'what the hell does he have to do with all of this? You're joking, right?!'

'No, he was…he is…,' Harry stammered, and then defiantly stated, 'Ron he can help us. He told us that Voldemort knows about Hermione and I…and that he's going to do something about it. We don't know what, yet, but…we know he's up to something,' Harry said to Ron.

After a long pause, a pause in which Ron took time to soak in this new information, he looked at his best mate. 'Are you sure?' he asked.

Harry replied with a sad look in his eyes, 'Yea…he knows, Ron…'

Ron again took this into consideration. His two best friends were perhaps in more trouble now than ever before. True, he was upset at the way he found out this relatively new information. But even so, he worried for them.

Ron looked up at Hermione. 'What can I do? I mean…how can I help? I…I don't know anything about babies, but…but I'm willing to do anything' Ron said quietly.

Hermione, touched by his willingness, spoke no words, but instead slowly grabbed hold of his hand, held on to it, and choked back a sob.

Harry simply looked at the floor. '_There's something else_…' he said, not looking at Ron.

Turning his gaze from Hermione to Harry, Ron asked, 'What is it, mate?'

Harry took a deep breath in, and then exhaled. He walked to the window pane, a few feet from where Hermione and Ron sat. Looking at the accumulation of snow in the courtyard, he spoke: 'It's about Snape,' he continued. 'We made him…well he kind of agreed to it…Ron, we asked him to be our secret keeper…you know, in case anything happens…' trailed Harry's voice, as he continued to focus his gaze through the window pane.

For this had pained Harry to tell this to his best friend. Wasn't Ron the logical choice for a secret keeper? He was a good guy, down to earth, would do anything, _anything_ for his two best friends. And yet they chose a man, a man with a tarnished soul, a man who Harry wasn't sure if he completely trusted, to keep them safe should the occasion arise. Did thismake sense _at all_? Harry's mind was full of thoughts such as these until Ron interrupted his musings:

'What?!' was all Ron said. 'Him?..Snape as secret keeper - Oh now wait, this has gone_ way_ too far,' Ron said, standing up, yelling at Harry.

'Ssh, Ron,' said Hermione. 'You'll wake everyone up!'

'I don't care!!' yelled Ron, looking at Hermione.

'Ron, really…' said Harry, peeling his gaze from the window and looking at Ron's face, full of hurt.

'Really what?!' said Ron. 'Sure, let's make Snape secret keeper! Really Hermione, I thought you had more brains than that!' shouted Ron at Hermione.

And perhaps it was hormones, perhaps it was the mere fact that Ronald Weasley could not keep his big mouth shut at three in the morning and risked waking up the other Gryffindor students, but whatever it was, Hermione sat up off the couch, looked at Ron with wild eyes, and spoke sternly to him:

'RON STOP IT!' She pointed a finger at him, travelling ever so dangerously closer to him as she spoke: 'You!...you are our best friend!...Ron, this whole thing is so complicated! You don't even know the _half _of it…How I feel when I think I have to explain to the Order what we've done…How _I _have to look at Harry and feel as though I've ruined _his_ life…'At this Harry, shuffled his feet refusing to look at Hermione, and she continued: 'I…I have no idea what I'd do if I lost you, Ron …OK!? Maybe that's why we didn't choose you…you mean the world to us…' and she continued to yell at him, voice cracking, and tears beginning to roll down her flushed cheeks.

'Snape - he knows other information that no one else knows…he has the heads-up should something happen…and…_oh Ron_,' and with this, Hermione broke down, plopped back on the couch, and sobbed. She sobbed and wept, head in her hands. The kind of sobbing where one shakes, and may even have a hard time catching their breath. And all of a sudden it hit her like a ton of bricks. Hermione just couldn't take it - Her own words stung her:

…she _ruined_ Harry's life.

Ron at once, feeling immediate remorse, sat down with her, placing an arm around her shoulder and spoke soft words of comfort: 'Ssh, Hermione…look…I'm sorry…about yelling at you…I'm just upset, that's all. It's…it's just _a lot_ to take in on one night,' said Ron, trying to calm Hermione. And all Harry could do was watch in the shadows as Ron comforted Hermione. It wasn't that he didn't love her, because he did. More than he knew. It was, at the moment, difficult for Harry to find words to sooth Hermione, for he did not know what to tell her. He didn't want her to feel guilty, guilty for something that was equally his fault. His fault, he thought to himself. Well , the_ hell_ with that, he thought.

'Hermione,' he stated boldly, walking over to her, '…this is going to work. We're going to make it. Don't you ever…ever think for one moment that you ruined _my_ life. I love you, with all my heart! This is something that we should be happy about, not a dark cloud over our heads…' and Harry kneeled on one knee in front of her and grasped her head in his hands.

'_Hey, look at me_…' he asked Hermione, the softness unmistakable in his voice. With his hands on either side of her face, she looked up, eyes blood shot, nose red.

'I love you Hermione. _I really do_. ' Harry whispered, at which Ron piped up, '…and I love you too Hermione…well, like a sister…you know, best friend… oh you know what I mean…' at which Hermione chuckled a little at Ron's embarrassment. Harry turned to Ron and smiled a small smile at him, which was in fact reciprocated by Ron.

Hermione took a deep breath. Perhaps things _were_ going to be OK.

The three kept silent for a brief moment, before Hermione spoke to the boys: '_Oooh.._' she groaned, looking at the grandfather clock, 'it's 3 AM already?! I really need to get some rest, I still have to go over some Transfiguration for tomorrow's class,…' Hermione said.

'Yea, we'd better be off too,' said Harry, looking at the clock as well.

Ron stood up and outsretched his arms to Hermione. She smiled, and gave him a hug. _'It's going to be alright…'_ he whispered to her. She smiled with her eyes closed, and returned the hug. Ron gave her a half smile, a typical Weasley grin, and started up the steps to his dormitory.

Harry lingered for a moment. Hermione looked at Harry. He spoke to her, 'Well, you should be off too – after all, what, we'll get a _solid_ four hours sleep or so...' she chuckled, looking at him.

'Yea, I know,' said Hermione.

'Hermione, listen..' stated Harry, looking at Hermione, '…I know this…_all of this_…is really sudden. I mean, not sudden, but you know…it's just unexpected and all…' said Harry. 'I don't want this to change anything between us…I mean I _want_ things to continue, I meant what I said before, Hermione…I really _do_ love you…' said Harry, stepping closer to Hermione.

'I know, Harry…I love you too,' said Hermione, looking at Harry. He stepped closer to her, stroked the side of her cheek with his hand, and embraced her, and before long, the embrace became much more passionate. After a few moments, Hermione broke the kiss, and said breathlessly, 'Harry, this is what got us in trouble in the first place,' an amused look on her face. Harry smiled and just looked at her. 'I know, I know…hey, how about going to Hogsmede with me this weekend. We can grab a nice lunch, you know, just the two of us…' said Harry.

'That sounds lovely,' said Hermione, looking into Harry's eyes. In an instant, a yawn consumed her, and Harry laughed at her. 'Come on – off to bed you go,' ushered Harry. Hermione smiled, and with one final kiss, Harry and Hermione parted ways for the night.

The morning would bring much more…_excitement_, perhaps. For Minerva McGonagle was, at this time, unable to sleep as well. She too had noticed that two of her pupils had traveled up to Gryffindor Tower quite late that evening, and when she had arrived in her quarters and summoned Severus Snape in the fireplace to speak to him regarding Order business, he was not in his rooms. '_How odd_,' she thought to herself. _A mere coincidence, no?_ With a flowered tea cup full of earl grey in her hand, she sat by her fireplace and contemplated her thoughts.


	7. Chapter 7

Headmistress Minerva McGonagle arose to a touch of frost on the outside of the window, the same window that overlooked the frozen lake that surrounded Hogwarts. After prepping herself for the day's events, she made her way down to the Great Hall for breakfast. There weren't many students gathered this early in the morning. Rarely, are students eager to jump out of bed from beneath their heavy quilts when the temperature outside is less than favorable. Professor McGonagle purposefully walked down the stairs of the castle, smiling and nodding to students as she was greeted here and there, and just as she was about to enter the doors of the Great Hall, she saw the black shoes, pants, and cloak of another Professor at Hogwarts; a Professor that she was hoping to run into on this particular morning.

'_Oh Professor Snape_,…' Professor McGonagle called, as she approached the Potions Master.

Severus Snape knew just exactly who was calling his name, before he even turned around. As stiff as a broomstick, he slowly turned to face the Headmistress. 'Minerva…to what do I owe the _pleasure_?' drawled Severus Snape, an inkling of sarcasm in his voice. The two stood in the entranceway to the Great Hall, facing one another.

'I had tried to reach you after the Order meeting last night. I know that you had some…_business _to attend to,' she added quietly, '…but I had tried to contact you long after I thought you would have returned.'

'I see…' said Severus. 'I was a bit…_detained,_ Minerva,' he said to the Headmistress.

'Oh,' said Professor McGonagle, nonchalantly. 'Well then, I suppose you wouldn't have any idea why Mr. Potter and Ms. Granger were so late to arrive back in their dormitories, now would you?…' she added.

Severus Snape looked at her for a brief moment before saying, 'Minerva, I suggest that if you would like to sort out all the details, you should ask two of them, before –'…and before Severus could finish, he heard from in back of him:

'_Ask us what, Professor…?_'

The quiet voice belonged to none-other than Hermione Granger, for she and Harry had heard a fair bit of the conversation between the two Professors before making their presence known.

'Miss Granger…I…_May I have a word_?...' stuttered Professor McGonagle, looking at both Harry an Hermione.

Severus gave a final smirk, looking at the three individuals before making his way into the Great Hall for breakfast and naturally, to unfairly deduct house points from non-Slytherin students as well.

Ushering the two of them into a corner some distance away from the main doors to the Great Hall, Professor McGonagle looked at Harry and Hermione and spoke to the pair:

'I noticed that the two of you returned quite late to your dormitories last evening…I was speaking with Mr. Weasley in the Gryffindor common room last night, and he had informed me that the two of you had not arrived back at Gryffindor Tower,' said a somewhat concerned Professor McGonagle in a hushed tone, for more students were continuing to make their way down to the Great Hall for breakfast.

'Well, Professor,' started Harry, '…we were talking in the hall…the two of us…Me and Hermione…and then Professor Snape came up to us and…and he was speaking to us as well…about…' trailed Harry's voice.

'-about the War, Professor,' piped up Hermione. The Headmistress focused her gaze on the young witch. 'He…he said that _You know Who_ may have a new plan..or something along those lines…actually I'm not really sure what he was talking about, we were so _tired, _really…' Hermione stated, the words flying fast out of her mouth.

'Yea,' added Harry, 'we…we were so tired, exhausted is more like it, that…that we really didn't understand what he was trying to tell us…I think…I think he may even had taken house points away from us for being out so late…' added Harry matter-of-factly, looking at Hermione.

'_Really?_' asked Professor McGonagle, still maintaining a hushed-like tone. 'Well, perhaps it was information he should share with the _entire_ Order, if it does indeed concern the War as you just said. Perhaps I should ask him about it…' stated Professor McGonagle, eyeing the doors to the Great Hall, pretending to look for the Potions Master.

'No!' said Harry, eyes wide. 'I mean…I mean we'll ask him about it later…after all…he…we'll see him in Potions after breakfast,' said Harry, looking at Professor McGonagle. He was not worried looking at her, looking right into her soft hazel eyes. She was not as half as a good Occulmens as Professor Snape, and for this, Harry was grateful.

'Hey guys,' they heard called from behind Professor McGonagle. The Headmistress turned around to find Ronald Weasley, half asleep, shirt un-tucked, and tattered pea green book bag on his right shoulder.

'Hey Ron,' Hermione called to him, peering around the Headmistress to look at Ron, a small smile on her face.

'Mr. Weasley,' Professor McGonagle said, looking up and down at her student. 'You…_Oh_ tuck in that shirt, for _God's sake,_ do you really want to lose house points due to mere appearance?' added the Headmistress, a disapproving look on her face and the sound of unmistakable annoyance in her voice.

'And you two…' she said, turning around to give orders to Harry and Hermione: '…Go and eat some breakfast. I…I suppose we shall speak _later..._' She gave them one final glance, another disapproving look at Ron, and made her way into the Great Hall.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione stood there, watching the Headmistress disappear. They walked slowly to the entrance of the Great Hall, not paying attention to the other students that side-stepped them to make their way into the giant room to eat breakfast.

'What was _that_ all about?' asked Ron to Harry, looking into the Great Hall.

'Oh nothing Ron…._Gee let me think' _Harry spoke, looking up at the ceiling, his index finger curled under his chin '_ -_ you couldn't have said that McGonagle was looking for us last night, now could you' asked Harry as he looked at his best friend.

'Oh yeah, _that_…' said Ron, looking a bit sheepish and. 'Well I _was _kind of tired…and you lot _did_ come in kind of late,' said Ron, trying to justify his reasoning.

'_Oh never mind,_' said Hermione to no one in particular in an irritated tone. For Hermione Granger was not feeling well this very morning. Not well at all.

'_Let's just go into the Hall instead of dwadling here looking like idiots,_' she spoke sternly to the two of them.

With Hermione glancing at the floor, Ron gave an inquisitive look at Harry, at which he nonverbally replied by shrugging his shoulders. Harry and Ron made their way into the Hall for breakfast, with Hermione following close behind the boys.

Well, they had _thought _she was close behind…

For as the three made their way halfway down the center aisle of the Great Hall, Harry glanced up at the head table. He was looking at Professor McGonagle, who was trying her darndest to have a meaningful conversation with Professor Snape. Snape, on the other hand, seemed not phased in the least by what the Headmistress was telling him, for his gaze shifted from panning the crowd of chattering students to one single student in particular. His brow furrowed, and a scowl masked his face. He made his way to stand up, at which Professor McGonagle stopped speaking to Severus, and turned her head in the direction of the scowling Potions Master. She gasped, eyes wide, put her hands over her mouth, and stood up faster than a bolt of lightening.

At seeing the sight of his two Professors, and hearing gasps and whispering in back of him, Harry turned around to see what all the fuss was about. As if in slow motion, and not taking sight off of what he had just seen, he grabbed Ron by the arm, forcing the young Mr. Weasley to turn around as well.

…For there lay Hermione Granger, in the middle of the Great Hall, surrounded by her classmates…. _Unconscious._


	8. Chapter 8

She thought it was a dream. All of it.

She remembered waking up that morning to an awful splitting headache, the kind where even the tiniest bit of sunlight was painful. She remembered lurching whatever contents were in her stomach before meeting Harry in the common room that morning. She even remembered yelling irrationally at Ron and Harry before going into the Great Hall for breakfast. But the last thing she remembered was looking into the dark eyes of Severus Snape who was listening to a ranting Minerva McGonagle at the head table. All of a sudden it had brought back memories of the previous evening. And that was perhaps what triggered Hermione Granger to lose consciousness. So even before she had the chance to consume a bit of toast that morning, the overwhelming evening prior, coupled with the un-pleasantries of a first trimester pregnancy landed Hermione in the hospital wing sooner than one could say "_Quidditch."_

'…_Do you think she'll wake up soon?'_ asked Harry quietly to no one in particular. He had positioned himself on the right side of Hermione, and was currently sitting and holding Hermione's soft warm hand as he looked down at her.

'Don't know mate, she's been out for awhile now…' said Ron grimly, who was indeed positioned on the other side of Hermione. He was standing with his arms crossed, shirt still untucked, and looking down at her pale face.

At the foot of the bed stood Madame Pomfrey, Severus Snape, and Minerva McGonagle. All with worried faces. Well, perhaps not Severus Snape. His look was one of mere annoyance, for the Headmistress kept probing him for information regarding last evening. He was still quite reluctant to tell her that the young couple made him their secret keeper.

All of a sudden, Hermione stirred. She moved her head back and forth slowly on the pillow as she squinted to look at the person who was holding her hand. '_Ha…Harry_?' she spoke, her voice raw and groggy.

'_Yea, it's me,_' said Harry, a smile beginning to grow on his handsome face. 'You gave us quite a scare there,' he said, looking lovingly at her.

'Oh Harry…_What_…Where am I…_Oh_…OH! Harry!...Harry is the baby OK?' she asked, voice full of worry, as she strained to look at Harry. Harry kept his smile and nodded. He began to stroke her forehead, trying to sooth her worries.

'Ssh, Everything's fine, Mione. Madame Pomfrey said that you're OK, both of you…right?' and as he asked, he turned his head to the foot of the bed where Madame Pomfrey stood, with the other two Professors.

Hermione, slowly following Harry's gaze, looked at the other two Professors at the foot of her hospital bed. And then Hermione focused on the Headmistress. '_Oh no…_'Hermione said quietly, the dread unmistakable in her voice. As if Harry read her mind, he said to her, 'It's OK Mione…we told Professor McGonagle everything…we had to..' said Harry.

'Professor Snape carried you up here, Madame Pomfrey performed a bunch of tests on you …and the baby, and even healed the back of your head -' said Harry, continuing to look at Hermione, who had eased herself up on the pillows propped in back of her.

'Yea, Hermione…' interjected Ron, '…you went down pretty hard. Like a sack of potatoes, I'd say...' feeling a bit proud at his witty comment.

'Thanks, Ron…' said Hermione as she looked at the red-head, the sarcasm unmistakable in her voice.

Someone then spoke from the foot of the bed:

'I hate to leave at such a…_touching_ moment such as this,' Severus said to the Headmistress, '…but I _must_ return to my class.' He turned to leave, and just as he was about to exit the hospital doors, turned to face the three students: 'And just because of Ms. Granger's incident this morning, does not excuse you from missed Potions homework. I eagerly await two feet of parchment from each of you on the properties of wagindoodle and its effects on goblins.' And with a final smirk, exited the hospital wing.

Ron looked at Harry. 'What the _hell _is a wagindoodle?' he whispered to Harry, to whom Harry replied, looking at the doors of the hospital wing: 'No idea….'

'Well, Miss Granger,' said Professor McGonagle, taking a seat on the bed, next to where Ron was standing. 'I really don't know what to say…I honestly don't. No, no…I'm not asking you to explain yourself…_both of you_,' she said, looking at Harry as well, '…I will admit that I _am_ a bit shocked, but none-the-less, we need to focus. Focus on what is at stake,' said a defiant Minerva McGonagle.

'And of course…,' she added, '…the Order _should_ more than likely be notified...'

'I know,' said Hermione, finally owning up to the inevitable. 'Harry and I will tell them at the next meeting,' she added quietly, looking at Harry.

'Very well,' said the Headmistress. She reached up to squeeze Hermione's hand, and with warmth in her voice and in her eyes, spoke softly to Hermione. '_Be well, child_…' she said to the girl, before getting up and exiting out of the hospital wing.

After waiting until Professor McGonagle left, and after Madame Pomfrey said she would be back with a pepper-up potion for Hermione, Harry spoke to Hermione:

'She took it well, you know…Professor McGonagle…when we told her…actually, she was really worried about you…for you and the baby,' Harry said.

Ron piped up: 'Yea, and you should have seen how Snape scooped you up – Harry would have, you know, but he was all shook up about it, weren't you mate?' Ron said, looking at Harry.

'Yea, I was – seeing you just…_lying_ there…well , it was just awful, Mione…really awful…' Harry said, looking at Hermione, softness in his voice.

'Well, I'm on the mend. At least I hope I am…' said Hermione. And just as she finished her sentence, Madame Pomfrey walked briskly towards Hermione's bed and gave her a bright red potion to drink. 'Bottoms up girly - we'll have you feeling better in no time,' she said cheerfully. Hermione smiled thankfully, and drank the concoction, draining the flask of all of its contents. She handed the empty container back to the Mediwitch.

Madame Pomfrey spoke to Ron and Harry:

'Now, I ought to have you return to your classes now. Ms. Granger is in good hands. She will be resting here until dinner time, so you shall see her then,' she said matter-of-factly.

Ron and Harry understood. They nodded, and turned to say their goodbyes to Hermione. Each gave her a kiss on the forehead and exited the hospital wing.

Classes were uneventful. The sky turned from a sea blue to dull gray, and before the day ended, frozen rain and a bit of snow had begun to fall upon the Castle. Harry's last class of the day, Charms, was cancelled due to Professor Flitwick's sudden appearance of purple spots that screamed as if in pain when they were touched. No doubt an unwelcomed gift bestowed from the Weasley's joke shop. Harry was in fact grateful that his last class was cancelled. For he was exhausted, having gotten roughly three hours of sleep the previous night. He told Ron that he was going to take a nap before dinner, and Ron used this time to go to the library with Neville and work on his Potions homework.

Harry arrived in his dormitory. It was quiet, for most of the other boys were attending their final class of the day. He was thankful for the peacefulness of it all, and quickly fell into a deep slumber.

…_Hermione was in pain, terrible pain. She was being tortured at the hands of Voldemort in a dimly lit room, full of candles. He could see her writhe on the marble floor, terrible screams uttering from her, and he could see her very large, very much protruding abdomen. 'Please…NO!...' she shouted, as he continued to hurt her, his wand spewing forth spell after spell that was slowly killing Hermione. 'You, Mudblood…are MINE!' the Dark Lord shouted at her, '…Potter's child is MINE, you here me! You aren't leaving until I get what I want!' he continued to bellow..._

And Harry woke up with a start, an undeniable splitting headache surrounding his scar, sweat drenching his entire body. '_No…_,' he thought to himself, '…_No…this is wrong…I can't..I won't…_' and he continued to lie there breathing deeply, eyes darting back and forth, his mind racing with thoughts, terrible thoughts.

'_What does he want with her_,' he thought to himself…

…_.What is he up to now…_


	9. Chapter 9

Harry continued to lay there in his bed for minutes, but minutes felt like an eternity. Harry looked at his wristwatch. It appeared to be 6:30 in the evening. _Hermione should be at dinner by now_, he thought to himself. He sat up in bed, swung his feet off the edge of the bed, reluctantly placed his glasses back on his face, and started to make his way downstairs to the Great Hall. He had relished the thought of telling Ron about his dream, but decided against it. Now was definitely not the right time.

Harry met up with Ron, Ginny, and Neville on the main staircase around the second floor corridor. They too were on their way to dinner. 'You alright, Harry?' said Ginny with a smile, gently patting him on the back, 'Are you still shook up about Hermione – she's doing a bit better you know. I saw her after lunch and she looked pretty good…' said the youngest Weasley.

'That's…that's good Ginny, ' said Harry, not looking at Ginny. For Harry was still a bit shaken from the dream he had prior to dinner. As Ginny and Neville walked in front of Harry, continuing their conversation regarding the purpose of muggle paperweights, Ron fell into step and walked along with Harry. 'You know I didn't tell them yet…' he said in a hushed tone, pointing to Ginny and Neville who were chatting away in front of them. 'I didn't tell anyone…about_…about the baby_,' whispered Ron. And for this, Harry was grateful. Today had brought about enough excitement already and he didn't think he could tolerate any more unfortunate and unplanned drama.

He made his way to supper with Ron by his side, and walked through the giant doors of the Great Hall. The fireplaces on either side of the hall were blazing, and as Harry glanced up at the head table, he noticed that most of the teachers had left the head table already. Harry scanned the crowd, and immediately saw the soft brown waves that belonged to the back head of Hermione Granger. As if on cue, she turned around from where she was seated, locked eyes with Harry, and an unmistakable grin spread across her lips. She motioned for Harry to sit next to her, and he obliged. Ron followed suit, and both boys placed themselves on either side of Hermione, and immersed themselves in good conversation. Harry looked at Hermione: Ginny was right. She looked _great_. She looked like she was…_glowing._ At this, Harry placed his dream at the back of his mind and vowed to focus on the here and now, at least for the moment. He would focus on what he saw right in front of him. And what he saw, was _beautiful._

After a hearty meal complete with blueberry pie for dessert, the three made their way to leave the Great Hall, along with Neville and Ginny, when Harry grabbed onto Hermione's arm for just a brief moment.

'Hermione…' Harry said, 'would you mind meeting me in the courtyard in a few moments?…I…_well_…maybe it would be good for you to…to get some fresh air, _you know_? I mean, you look _great _and all, but...well, maybe some air would do you good…' he said to her.

Ron, always noting the blatantly obvious, stated with an odd look on his face, 'Harry…are you _nuts_? It's 50 below out there…do you want her to _freeze to death_-' and before Ron could continue, Ginny had swiftly kicked Ron in the shin, and with a sweet smile, apologized for Ron's lack of tact, gave Harry a wink, and left the Great Hall, locking arms with Neville and Ron. You see, Ron had forgotten about this evening's planned events.

But Ginny hadn't.

…For Ginny knew that Harry had a plan. And she had known for_ weeks._

Hermione looked somewhat confused at her friends leaving the hall, and turned to Harry, '_Erm_… ok,Harry…sure!' she said with a smile, and a bit of excitement. ' I…I think some fresh air would be lovely, I…I just need to grab my coat from upstairs, and I'll be down in a few minutes,' she said to him, eyes lit up at the prospect of spending some quality time with the boy she had grown to love.

_Love._

Now _this_, was at the center of it all.

Harry and Hermione had not "officially" begun their relationship until that school year. That previous summer, they had grown quite close, but had not begun deepening their relationship until this very year. Over the past few months, Harry had decided that he wanted Hermione._ Forever_. He didn't want her in the possessive sense, no. Rather, he believed that she complimented him. He wanted to wake up to her bushy hair and inquisitive thoughts each and every morning. He loved the way she looked, the way she smiled, the way she looked at him with…_well_…love.

Harry first went to Ginny. After all, Ginny _was _Hermione's best girl friend. Harry loved Ginny as a friend, and likewise she respected their platonic relationship. One sun-filled moring, a few months ago, he had asked her what she thought about asking Hermione to be his wife. She immediately squealed, knocked him over in the library with an enormous hug, and likewise earned a deduction of 10 house points from Madame Pince for disturbing the peace. He took this as her blessing.

He went to Ron next. He knew in his heart that this would be somewhat tough for Ron, because Ron loved Hermione. Well, he loved her as a friend, that is. For Hermione and Ron had a huge…shall we say, _discussion _(in which some would call argument of the century) last summer in the backyard of the Burrow regarding their friendship/non-existent love life. And after an hour of arguing and dueling, in which Mrs. Weasley swore that the two of them would end up in Saint Mungos, they eventually agreed on being just friends. Best friends in fact. Harry believed that they needed that argument in order to clear the air, to make sure that the two of them were…_on the same page_, as one would say, and it all actually turned out rather well in the end.

In the beginning of December, Harry had approached Ron in the living room at Grimmauld Place, after one of the Order meetings, and asked him what he thought if he were to ask Hermione to marry him. Ron inhaled and exhaled deeply without looking at Harry. He looked down at his feet, and then he looked at his best friend with certainty: 'I think you two would be perfect together. I honestly do,' he said, with a typical sideways grin.

And here Harry was now. In the middle of the courtyard at Hogwarts. In January. On a Tuesday evening. Freezing his arse off.

…And with a ring box nestled in the pocket of his black pea coat.

He paced back and forth, back and forth, in front of the fountain, reciting what he was planning to say to Hermione. There was still plenty of snow and ice on the ground, and as he paced, one could here the '_crunch crunch crunch'_ after each footstep.

Suddenly, the doors opened, and out stepped Hermione. She looked very cute, all bundled up in preparation for the typical January weather. It made him love her even more.

She approached him slowly.

'Hi,' she greeted Harry, a smile on her face. She continued to walk closer to him, her boots making footprints in the snow. 'You know, it's actually not that bad out here…I'm surprised,' she said to Harry, taking a moment to breathe in the night air, and looking around at all the snow that still covered the ground, as well as the clear night sky full of bright shining stars.

'Yeah, I know…_listen,_ Hermione…' Harry began, motioning her to take a seat with him on the ledge of the fountain in the middle of the courtyard. The fountain had frozen over, so there was no chance of the two of them being splashed. For that, Harry was grateful. He took a breath, grasped her hands in his, and began to speak:

'Everything that's happened…' he began, looking into her warm brown eyes, '…everything that we've _been _through so far…I honestly don't think it's been by accident…I know…I know that things haven't turned out _exactly_ as planned,' and at this Hermione gave a small chuckle and looked down towards her feet, 'But…' Harry continued, '…I mean what I say. I do love you, Hermione Granger. I have loved you for a long time now. And the fact now that we're going to have a _baby_…well…I think…_I think I love you even more…_' Harry said smiling, not being able to hide the excitement in his voice.

'…Mione, what I'm trying to say, is that…is that _I love you._ Very much. So much, in fact, that…that I want to spend the restof my life with you, and with _our _child…' At this, Harry broke eye contact with her, reached into his pocket, and grabbed the black velvet ring box.

He proceeded to get down on one knee, upon which Hermione's eyes started to well and she cupped her hands over her mouth to hide her smile. Harry looked straight into her chocolate eyes on bended knee. He had purchased the ring from a store in Diagon Alley, and he had to admit that he was really pleased at how it looked. He opened the box to reveal a solitaire diamond ring, plain, yet absolutely exquisite; a silver band that sparkled in the moonlight anchored the petite diamond.

And ever so quietly, in the middle of the deserted courtyard on that cold January evening, Harry spoke to Hermione:

'Hermione Granger…would you…do me the honor…_of being my wife_?'

And with that she closed her eyes tightly, letting the tears fall as they may, and removed her hands to answer Harry, 'Oh Harry…yes…YES!' And he smiled the biggest smile he could ever remember. He shot up, and grabbed Hermione, and hugged and kissed her for what seemed like an eternity. Both of them were crying tears of joy, echoes of laughter, and nothing, _nothing_ could ruin this wonderful moment…

…And just then, a black raven flew off in silence, unbeknownst to Harry and Hermione. The raven had few delicate markings, and also had quite an impressive wingspan. But perhaps the oddest thing about the raven was its wild eyes – the kind of eyes that would put a fright in anyone who made eye contact with it. The raven made its way through the mountains, through the brisk wind and falling temperatures, travelling for quite some time that evening until it reached the home of none-other than _Lucius Malfoy_, where upon the bird flew onto a stone balcony located outside one of the rooms upstairs. The bird transformed into a woman with horrifically tattered clothing and wild, frizzy, long ebony hair. She advanced through the unlocked French doors that separated the warmth of the room from the bitter cold. The woman entered the room, closed the door quietly behind her, and bowed down on one knee. With her head bent, she spoke wildly:

'Master, you will be pleased to know that there have been new…_advancements_ regarding Potter and that filthy mudblood!' she said excitedly. The person to whom she had been speaking to suddenly turned away from the roaring fireplace, rose from his chair, and peered at her with his slit-like eyes and almost non-human form. He said in a hoarse tone, 'Good…good…_my my _Bella, you _must_ tell me what you have seen this evening…' and Bellatrix Lestrange popped her head up, eyes wild, and began to convey _exactly_ what she had witnessed.


	10. Chapter 10

Two weeks had passed since Harry proposed to Hermione. Two weeks had passed since she had agreed to be his wife, and join him in wedded bliss. And it is no surprise that within those two weeks, just about _every_ person at Hogwarts knew just what had transpired on that cold star-filled night.

For Ginny Weasley could not keep a secret to save her life.

When Harry and Hermione returned to the common room that evening, expecting to spend some nice quiet time together, they entered through the portrait of Gryffindor Tower to find that the tiny room was packed with every Gryffindor student cheering and congratulating the pair. Dobby, the house elf, was so touched that he baked a giant marble cake with lemon icing to celebrate their happiness. It was absolutely delicious, and Harry was truly grateful for the warm cocoa that accompanied the cake.

The teachers at Hogwarts eventually got whiff of the latest news as well.

When Hagrid learned of the engagement, he grabbed Hermione in a hug so tightly before breakfast one morning, she started gasping for air and begged to be put down. Madame Pomfrey noticed the sparkling ring one afternoon when Hermione went up to the hospital wing to ask for a potion to help her upset stomach. And Professor Snape made a snide remark one day during potions class - something along the lines of reminding Ms. Granger to_ keep her eye on her boiling pincap potion instead of fixating on her right hand. _

One evening, after a day full of hard work, demanding 7th year classes, and massive loads of homework, Ron, Harry, and Hermione found themselves sitting in the common room by the fireplace. After a wonderfully filling supper, they had decided that homework was a priority, and set off to dig their heels into their work. _Well,_ it was Hermione who made the decision, really. Harry and Ron had agreed with her, but only because she was an excellent resource when it came to proofreading their parchment.

Harry and Hermione were sitting on the plush red couch, about a foot or so away from each other, while Ron was sitting on the floor using the coffee table as a desk. The three were very much submerged in their work, not even noticing the students who came and went throughout the common room that evening. They even managed to block out games of wizard chess that were taking place over in the corner by one of the windows. It wasn't until around 9:00 that evening, when all of a sudden, Ronald Weasley picked his head up to address his best friends:

'I'm really hungry,' he said to the pair.

Hermione replied, without even a glance at Ron: 'Oh Ron, you're always hungry. _Like a stomach on legs…'_ her voice trailed off. Harry laughed and looked at her with an amused facial expression.

'No I'm serious, guys,' Ron said a little more defiantly, sitting up a bit. 'I'm actually _really _hungry. It's all this studying, you see. Makes me really work up an appetite and all,' he said with conviction.

…And just then, someone else decided to join in on the conversation.

'_Well, perhaps Mr. Weasley, you'd like to join us for a spot of tea and some refreshments. We are waiting for you, after all._' And just then, three sets of eyes looked into the fireplace in the Gryffindor common room, and spotted the head of none other than Headmistress Minerva McGonagle. Harry quickly turned around, and lo-and-behold, the common room was quite deserted. It had actually been deserted for some time now. A split-second later, he turned his focus back to the fireplace.

'Professor McGonagle, we'll…we'll be right there….we just got so tied up with our home-' and before Harry could finish, Professor McGonagle put a hand up to silence him, and spoke: 'Quite alright Harry. I am pleased to see that you _and _Mr. Weasley are taking your studies seriously. You may floo from my office. I shall see you here in a few moments.' And with out another second, she was gone.

'_Blimey,_' Ron said, 'we forgot about the Order meeting tonight. Best be off, eh?' he said to Harry and Hermione.

'What was the password for the Headmistress' office?' asked Hermione, while attempting to collect her bits of parchment and books that had been strewn about the floor. Harry looked at her_: 'Icicle,'_ he said.

The three retrieved their winter weather attire from their rooms and met again in the common room. Number 12 was always quite warm and toasty, but the professors and the trio usually left the meetings via broomstick, apparition, and even port key. After all, the ministry was still keeping tab on various transportation methods of witches and wizards. And as we all know so well, the ministry _cannot_ be trusted.

The three made their way out of the common room, through the portrait of the fat lady, and finally they found themselves in the middle of the Headmistress' office. One by one they entered the Headmistress' fireplace and subsequently landed in the fireplace in the kitchen of number 12 Grimmauld Place. Ron went first, then Hermione, and finally Harry. Harry dusted himself off a bit before adjusting his glasses and taking a first glance around the kitchen. He was stunned at what he saw in front of him.

The room was packed. _Absolutely packed._

Harry could have swore that there weren't _this_ many members in the Order. He turned to Hermione, who was obviously having the same thoughts. She looked around the room with eyes as big as saucers. Ron, on the other hand, did not seemed phased a bit by the crowd of people in the tiny kitchen, for he had seen a pot of tea on the table, and helped himself to a nice cup of chamomile and remarked at how wonderful the cherry danish looked this evening.

'Wonderful for you three to join us this evening,' said Professor McGonagle, a toothless smile across her face.

'Sorry, we..we were-' and before Harry could finish, he was interrupted by Mr. Weasley, who strutted over to Harry, wearing a terribly mismatched muggle suit, and gave him a few swift pats on the back. He said with a smile, 'No matter, Harry, no matter! Glad you could make it before it got too late.'

Remus Lupin's wand flickered from the one corner of the room, and all of a sudden three wooden seats with pink and green flowered chair pads appeared at the head of the table. Harry, Ron, and Hermione turned around, and looked at the chairs for a moment before settling down in them ever so slowly. Hermione was paying a good bit of attention to keep her right hand covered, when Severus Snape spoke from the far end of the table:

'_Well Potter_, what is this I hear about you and Ms. Granger?' Snape said, and inkling of scarcasm in his voice as he looked smugly at the Boy-Who-Lived.

Hermione immediately closed her eyes, and opened them, looking down at her lap, as if trying to memorize a stain on the skirt of her school uniform. She started to blush, and prayed that no one was looking at her. Harry scanned the crowd. 'Uh…we…' he stammered.

'Well,' piped up Ron, addressing the crowd with a mouth full of cherry danish, '…which part do you want to know about?' said Ron to no one in particular, trying to gulp down an enormous mug of tea.

Harry looked at Ron with a bit of annoyance. He was sure Snape was getting a kick out of this. Harry looked at those gathered in the kitchen. He scooted to the edge of his seat, cleared his throat, and spoke: 'We…_um_…there…some things have happened within the past few weeks, and…'

'_Go on_…' Severus drawled, soaking in the sight of Harry's discomfort at being put on the spot.

'Well, we…Hermione…_Hermione and I_…' he stammered. Just then, Hermione, with her head still bent down, raised the back of her right hand to show off the sparkling solitaire diamond upon her ring finger. Nymphadora Tonks gasped and shouted, 'Hermione! Are you…you're getting married…oh Harry! Oh! Congratulations!' and her hair turned a soft salmon color as she rushed over and hugged Harry and Hermione, a huge grin on her face.

'Th…Thanks…' said Harry, a bit embarrassed, returning the hug. In the moments that followed in the tiny kitchen of Number 12 Grimmauld place, there were echoes of_ 'congratulations' _and plenty of hugs for the pair. Mrs. Weasley, one of the last people to congratulate Harry and Hermione, started to bawl, and grabbed the two students in a giant hug, muttering that she was so proud of them and how they would be wonderful parents one day.

And just then, Ron Weasley, who could not seem to keep his red-headed mouth shut this evening, snorted at his mother's comments and replied, '…well one day isn't _that _far in the future…'

At that, Mrs. Weasley stopped mid sentence, and looked at her son. 'Ronald, what are you talking about?' He replied, 'I…um…well Harry, I mean…well you _were _going to tell her…tell t_hem_ eventually,' and as Ron continued to speak, the room became quieter and quieter, until one could hear a pin drop.

'Something else you'd like to share with us, _Mr. Potter_?' Snape interjected quietly, still seated in the far side of the room.

Harry gave the Potions Master a most distasteful look, and then focused on Hermione. She wrapped her arms around herself and sat down in the chair next to where Harry was now standing.

'We…we…' Harry began, 'Hermione and I…we wanted to tell you before…before you started to notice…' and before Harry could continue, Tonks looked at Hermione.

'_Oh my god_…it's…it's true _isn't it?..._I thought I overheard it from one of the other students in Hogsmede… but I wasn't sure…but…but _look at you_ – I mean now…_now_ that I'm looking at you…well…you can totally tell!' Remus looked at Nymphadora's excited face. 'Tell what? What the _devil _are you talking about?' said Remus in a somewhat annoyed tone.

And all of a sudden, Hermione put her face in her hands and began to sob. Quietly at first, and then a bit more forcefully. Harry dropped down to crouch next to her, whispering to her words of comfort.

'Oh dear, what's the matter?' said Mrs. Weasley, hurrying over to rub Hermione's back and trying to sooth the young witch. All of a sudden, Severus Snape spoke to the Order members in a somewhat bored voice.

'It appears that since both Mr. Potter and Ms. Granger are _apparently_ at a loss for words…-' but he never got a chance to finish his sentence.

Hermione, between sobs and still with her head bent, uncupped her hands from her face for a brief second and forced out a simple sentence. With her voice cracking, she spoke in the quietest of voices:

'…_I'm pregnant…'_

The gasps around the room were unmistakable. Hermione began sobbing even harder and her breathing was becoming labored. Mrs. Weasley suddenly stopped patting her back. The _'why's'_ and _'how could they's'_ were heard throughout the room. Hermione wished that she had never, _never_ set foot in Grimmauld Place this evening. She was so incredibly embarrassed, and had never felt so small in her life. She was a perfectionist. A perfectionist til the _very end._ Is this how a perfectionist behaves? How a perfectionist _acts_?

And then suddenly, Hermione shot up out of her seat.

Her face was tear stricken, eyes blood shot, and she looked_ awful_. She wiped her nose on her sleeve haphazardly, and at the same time, spoke to everyone: 'I'm…I'm sorry…we're…it just_ happened_…you are all so angry with us…I just…' and she looked at Harry, 'I just…I have…_I have to go_…' and she began to exit backwards slowly out of the room, eyes darting back and forth at everyone.

'No, NO, Hermione, wait…' Harry said to her, trying to follow her, his eyes wide with fright at what she might try to do.

'I'm …I'm sorry…I have to go…to think…' she stammered in a somewhat manic state, hands stiff in front of her, as if trying to protect herself.

'Ms. Granger, please sit down,' the Headmistress begged.

'Do _not_ go out that door, Granger…' Snape said dangerously.

And just like that, Hermione, breathing heavily, eyes scanning the room at rapid speed, took one last look at Harry, choked back a sob and bolted through the kitchen door, down the hallway, and slammed the door to Number 12 as she made her exit, waking the portrait of Mrs. Black who began to scream unmercifully.

Harry stood there for a moment. All of a sudden, he quickly made his way to the kitchen door, past the Order members, but before he went through the door, he turned around and faced all the gaping mouths in Number 12 Grimmauld Place, who were in disbelief from what they had just heard and seen:

'Well, thanks. _Thanks_ for that,' he said, his words directed especially to Professor Snape. Harry's voice grew louder, and his breathing became heavier. 'Don't you know she feels enough of guilt!? That WE feel guilt!? We don't NEED this…we don't need you're anger. ANY of you! We need support. SHE needs support for Christsake! I want to make one thing clear: We ARE having this baby! We ARE going to be a family!-'

And then he added in the most dangerous of tones…

'And GOD HELP US if ANYONE gets in the way!' And with his voice booming, and certainly not caring how many house points he would lose that evening, he exited through the kitchen, and ran out the door after Hermione.

'Well that went well,' said Ron, who picked up another cherry danish, not really phased by the evening's events. He knew that Harry would fix the situation at hand. He always did. Always does.

'Shouldn't someone go after her…after _them_…? I mean Hermione looked like she was going to jump off a cliff…I'm really worried about her-' said Lupin, concerned for the young woman.

And without a single word, Severus Snape quietly got up from his seat for the first time that evening, and exited the kitchen.


	11. Chapter 11

She bolted out of the house like the damn thing was on fire. She stepped into the cold night with only a sweater on and her school uniform. She ran like hell, passing street after street, road after road, feet carrying her as fast as they could…

… And, Hermione Granger did not care in the _least _where she ended up.

She needed to get out of that cramped kitchen. She needed air, needed to breathe. This wasn't at _all_ how she expected to tell everyone the news. Well really, she had no idea how it would have all worked out, but this…_this _was definitely not what she expected.

Hermione ran until she could not run anymore. She eventually ended up at a local park which was quite a few blocks away from 12 Grimmauld Place. It was a beautiful, quaint little place. A jungle gym was on her far right, and there was a giant fountain in the middle of the park. It was quiet_. Very_ quiet. So quiet, that the only sound one could here was that of a young distraught woman crying her eyes out on a shabby wooden park bench.

'_How can I possibly face them again_?' She thought to herself. Her thoughts continued to swarm in her head: _'They're going to kick me out of the Order for sure. I mean, how could they not? Oh, I've really made a mess of things now…' _

And as Hermione wept in the cold dark night, she wept for not only what had happened at the meeting moments ago, but she wept for another part of her life that had gone very, _very _wrong. And perhaps the meeting triggered Hermione to remember something that she longed for, and wanted right here…right now…For Hermione Granger was suffering from a broken heart.

…She missed her parents. _Terribly._

Hermione, being an only child, had only her parents for guidance. They were hard working people and strived to provide the best for their little girl. They were the nicest, most genuine people that you could ever meet, and Hermione was in fact their pride and joy. They were so proud of her, so proud when she received her letter from Hogwarts. The Grangers knew in their heart that something great, something _very_ great would come of their daughter. And it was Hermione's only wish that they would live to see the day when that would happen. But as fate had its way, they were now resting peacefully, in a cemetery close to where Hermione grew up. They would never see their little girl grow into a remarkable young woman. They would never see her get married, or have a family, or see the accomplishments that she had yet to fulfill. And for this, Hermione was devastated. Losing parents, the only set of parents you've ever known, is one of the hardest and most difficult experiences to go through. And Hermione was not dealing well with it at this very moment. Not well at all.

In the midst of her tears, she heard the '_clop clop clop'_ of tennis shoes somewhere in the distance, but it didn't matter. Nothing really mattered right now. Hermione had sunk into a sort of mild depression, and yearned to be alone to sort out her thoughts. It was understandable, after all. _Dangerous,_ mind you. But understandable, never the less.

The sound of the tennis shoes grew closer and closer, until they stopped right in front of Hermione.

She picked her head up and looked at the figure in the shadows.

Harry Potter looked down at the young woman on the park bench. Harry was very much out of breath and his forehead showed beads of sweat in the moonlight. At the sight of him, she began to cry again, and without a single word, he positioned himself next to Hermione on the park bench and held her in his arms. He held her as if she were the last person on Earth. He sat there with her until she had cried and sobbed, and once she started to calm down he broke the embrace.

Still, without a word, he cupped the side of her face and looked at her. She looked miserable. Absolutely miserable.

After moments of silence, Harry spoke quietly to Hermione. 'I was so worried about you…I really was 'Mione…what they did…how they treated you back there, it was really awful. I said some stuff to them before I left to look for you…I think they got the message,' Harry said, and Hermione closed her eyes and smiled a very small smile.

'Mione,' Harry continued, 'whatever it is…whatever you need, I can help you. Please. Let me help you. I…I know I'm not that clever, and I know I don't have all the answers…but…but _please,_ please let me help you. Please Hermione…_just let me in_…' and with that, she reached out to him for a hug and held on to him for dear life.

'_Harry_…,' she whispered, still clinging onto Harry. 'Yea 'Mione' Harry replied.

'I _do _want to let you in…it's just that…so…so many things have happened in the past few months that…that I'm having a really tough time dealing with it all…' she said, voice trailing off.

Harry broke the hug and grasped the soft and smooth petite hands of Hermione Granger. Sensing that something else was up, he probed further, 'Mione…talk to me…tell me what's in that head of yours …' he asked her.

Hermione looked down briefly, inhaled and exhaled deeply, and then looked up at Harry with the saddest eyes that Harry had ever seen.

'I miss them, Harry. I miss them_ terribly_. I am so lost without my parents. They meant everything, _everything_ to me. And now all these new changes, and…and I can't even talk to them about it all, it's just…hard, you know?' she said to Harry, sniffling. Harry reached up to wipe away a stray tear from her eyes. He looked at her beautiful brown eyes and spoke to her.

'Well…since we _both_ don't have parents…well…maybe we can use this to our advantage in a way, you know?…I mean, since we both don't really have families of our own, we can be…we _are_ going to be a family…we have each other, Mione. And _that's_ what really matters now…' he spoke softly to her.

Hermione thought for a moment. She didn't think of it that way, the way in which he spoke just then. Harry was right. They _were _going to be a family after all…

But before she could get in another word, Hermione heard a 'pop' in the distance. To be entirely accurate, she had heard two distinct 'pops,' one right after the other. Knowing the unmistakable sound of apparition, Harry and Hermione as if by instinct, stood up like lightning and reached for their wands. They stood there in silence for a minute or two, looking around at the empty park in front of them. And then they heard someone speak:

'_Potter and Mudblood sitting in a tree…K-I-S-S-I-_NG' they heard from in back of the bench. The rhyme was then followed by a screech of laughter, the distinct, unmistakable laughter that could only come from one person, and one person alone:

_Bellatrix Lestrange._

Harry and Hermione turned around and faced that of a disheveled, wild-looking Bellatrix. Her hallowed out appearance, wild eyes, and sadistic smile were unmistakable.

'Potter, _my my my_…how you've all of a sudden grown up! What's this about choosing a wifey for yourself? _Hmm_? And a _Mudblood_ no less! Thought you had more class than that!' she said with a shriek of laughter, and she crept closer to the pair.

'Tisk Tisk, Potter, you _are_ in trouble with the Dark Lord…he had hoped that he would get you all to himself…but now…now that you're planning on getting married, well the Mudblood comes as a bonus now, doesn't she!?!' Bellatrix said with glee. Hermione stared at her, her wand hand shaking slightly.

And before Bellatrix Lestrage could say anything else, before she could utter another word, before Harry Potter had the chance to shout a single spell, Bellatrix Lestrange was suddenly stunned from behind, and was now laying out cold, face down in the dirt. Harry and Hermione stood in a state of shock at the disheveled woman lying still on the cold ground. And then like a bolt of lightning, Hermione's brain clicked.

Hermione had, until that moment, forgotten that there were not one, but _two_ apparition pops that evening. The other individual who apparated after Bellatrix, glided over to the pair, wand still raised. He looked at them, lowered his wand, and without saying a single word, held out a miniature statue of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, which Hermione immediately recognized as a portkey. She grabbed Harry's hand, placed it on the tower and at the same time, placed her hand on the statue and apparated with the figure that saved their life. The one that saved their lives that night was indeed the other figure who arrived in the deserted park just after Bellatrix Lestrange that evening.

…For you see, the other _'pop'_, had belonged to none other than Severus Snape.


	12. Chapter 12

The three appeared directly in front of Number 12 Grimmauld Place. Just looking at the ever familiar, shabby looking house squeezed in between two similar looking residences, made Hermione's stomach drop. Seeing as the two were not making their way inside the house, Severus impatiently waved his hand, and the door opened in front of them.

'_In_' was all he said, in a most deadly of voices.

And Harry and Hermione dare not argue and they need not have further instruction. They swiftly made their way back into the warm house, and as they walked into the kitchen, were surprised to find that most of the Order members had left. Remus Lupin had gone, for he was very much concerned for Hermione's safety, and had set out with Tonks to look for her. Minerva McGonagle had returned back to Hogwarts, in case the young witch had returned to the castle. To be entirely accurate, Mrs. Weasley and Ron were the only ones who still remained at Grimmauld Place, in case Hermione decided to rejoin the meeting.

Ron and Mrs. Weasley were in the parlor chatting quietly when Harry and Hermione arrived at Headquarters. Mrs. Weasley looked up at the sound of their footsteps, and with a most relieved look and with the warmest of hearts, gathered Hermione in her arms and hugged her tightly.

'Oh we were so worried, dear…_So worried_…' Mrs. Weasley said. 'Oh dear you _are_ freezing…best to get a spot of tea, let me get you a cup-' but before Mrs. Weasley could finish, Severus Snape interrupted.

'Molly, I assure you that Miss Granger is competent enough to fetch her own tea in the kitchen. I believe I need to have a word with both Miss Granger and Potter while you inform the rest of the Order that the two -' he said, looking disdainfully at Harry and Hermione, '…are _safe_.'

Molly looked at Severus with eyes as blue as the sea, and nodded. She hurried off to the library to contact the other Order members regarding the news.

Severus made his way towards the kitchen, and Hermione followed suit. Harry gave one last look at Ron sitting on the sofa in the Livingroom, and Harry could have swore that Ron gave him a look of pity, knowing what lie ahead with Snape. Harry made his way into the kitchen, and closed the door behind him.

Severus, Harry, and Hermione stood silently in the now empty kitchen of Number 12 Grimmauld Place.

'_Sit_' was all he uttered from the opposite side of the table.

Harry and Hermione obliged, and sat down ever so slowly into two of the wooden seats that surrounded the giant kitchen table. Somehow Hermione knew that she would not be getting her cup of tea this evening.

Severus, still standing and towering over the young pair from the other side of the table, spoke first.

'I would say that it is completely out of character for you, Miss Granger, to act so impulsively and without any regard for your safety. However, as of late, you still manage to surprise me…' he said to Hermione, eyes black as night staring down at Hermione. Hermione forced herself to look at him, as painful as it was. He paused for a moment, looking directly at her tired eyes.

Severus then broke eye contact, and turned towards Harry.

'And you, Potter. Well, no surprises there. After all, your genetic makeup comes with the predisposed complex that you need to save _anyone _and _anything _from harm,' he said, the scarcasm unmistakable in his voice.

'Had I not been there tonight, the outcomes would have been less than desirable, I imagine…'

And as Severus continued to lecture the pair, Hermione gave a somewhat audible sigh. She took her eyes off of Severus and looked at the worn corner cabinet opposite where she was sitting. The cabinet held an array of mismatched plates and saucers, all different sizes, some broken and some completely intact. One dish in particular, a dish with ornate miniature blue roses was particularly striking to Hermione. It had reminded her of a set of dishes that she had at her home. A set that her mother was particularly fond of. And at this, Hermione's eyes welled up and she bent her head down to stare at the laces of her oxfords.

'Sir…' Harry interjected, '…I think we learned our lesson. I think Hermione really just needs to go back and get some sleep…she's had a pretty rough night…' he said, looking at a tired, worn out Hermione Granger.

After a brief moment of silence, Severus spoke.

'15 points from both of you…be _grateful _it isn't more…' he said in a long drawl, looking down again at Hermione. 'Use the fireplace in the study to floo back to Professor Flitwick's office.'

Harry and Hermione nodded silently, and made their way to stand up as Severus finally took a seat in the kitchen. Harry started out the kitchen door first, followed by Hermione. With her back to the Potions Master, she suddenly stopped in her tracks, for he had started to speak once again addressing her, and only her.

'_Even without them, you are not alone, Miss Granger. Do your best not to forget it.'_

And with that Hermione closed her eyes tightly, letting tears flow down her cheeks. She knew exactly what he had meant, and she knew that he saw her broken heart through her deep brown, tired and worn out eyes. Without any acknowledgement, with her back still turned towards the Professor, and without a single word, she silently exited the kitchen.


	13. Chapter 13

Harry and Hermione walked out through the hallway of the kitchen, and scooped up Ron on the way. They continued to walk up the old, rickety steps of Headquarters towards the study, and eventually to the fireplace to floo back to the castle.

During their travels, Ron, ever the inquisitive, asked Hermione what had made her so angry that evening, where she went, how she was feeling, and other similar questions along those lines. Hermione tried her best to answer Ron, but she was in fact, very tired and emotionally drained. When Ron was satisfied with Hermione's responses, he then continued to tell Harry how everyone reacted after his exit speech.

'Everyone sat there for a moment, and then Snape…well he just got up and went out the door, didn't speak to anyone on his way out…and McGonagle, I could have _swore_ she was going to have a stroke…she went back to Hogwarts and went looking for you two there…and Lupin and Tonks, well they took off right away…' and as Ron continued divulging his gossip, Harry's mind wondered off in a completely different direction. He thought of Hermione, of what he said to her in the park, of how she told him that she yearned for her parents, and how he told her that they were going to be a family. He had told her that everything was going to turn out alright in the end. He wished he didn't have to lie to her. For Harry knew perfectly, that things _rarely_ turned out the way you expected them to.

They flooed back to Professor Flitwick's office, and made their way silently through the castle, up towards Gryffindor tower. The three bade each other good night, and submerged themselves in the peaceful slumber that soon consumed them.

The next morning, Hermione awoke to the bright wintery sky, ever so clear as crystal. She smiled to herself, and nestled just a bit more under her blankets. She was cozy, comfortable, and clearly was not eager at all to jump out of bed and begin her day. But none-the-less, at the sound of her alarm clock, Hermione did gather up just enough strength to pull herself out of her warm cocoon, and she showered, dressed, and prepared to meet the boys in the common room for breakfast.

The first sight she saw that morning, was Ron Weasley: leaning against the back of the giant plush red couch in front of the fireplace, shirt untucked, tie haphazardly placed around his neck, and one shoelace that was begging to become undone at any moment. Harry didn't look any better either: his hair appeared uncombed, the cloak on his right arm had definitely seen better days…and for this, Hermione was grateful. For some things, never changed.

She smiled at Ron and Harry.

'Morning,' she said with a cheerful tone, a smile across her lips.

'Morning 'Mione…' Ron yawned, managing to drop his Potions book in mid-yawn.

She approached Harry and gave him a peck on the cheek. He smiled at her, and was grateful to see her in higher spirits.

'Well, let's be off to breakfast…I am rather hungry,' and she added looking at Harry, '..and I _never did_ get that spot of tea last night that Ron's mom promised me,' she said with a pseudo-sarcastic tone, smiling at Harry. He chuckled at her, adjusted his glasses, and the three continued their way through the portrait of the fat lady, down the stairs, and into the Great Hall.

They sat at the large Gryffindor table, and immediately tucked into some breakfast. Harry chose oatmeal, a slice of toast with raspberry jam, and some pumpkin juice. Hermione had the same, except she chose strawberry jam to go with her toast. And Ron…well, Ron had two eggs, two slices of toast, four sausage links, and some pumpkin juice as well, which he successfully managed to spill on his Charms homework.

'_Oh great…this is just great_…' Ron muttered, at the sight of the juice on his parchment.

Without a word, Hermione took hold of her wand and muttered a simple cleansing spell. The juice evaporated, leaving the parchment intact and without damage.

'Honestly, Hermione…I don't know what I would do without you…' Ron said, ever grateful, glancing at his homework. And funny enough, Harry had thought the exact same thing. He didn't know what he would do without the woman he had grown to love. She was an angel. She was smart, beautiful, funny…and she was perfect, absolutely _perfect_.

In the midst of his thoughts, Harry turned to the open window above the head table. The morning mail had arrived. Dots of white, black, brown, and gray soared above their heads. The owls swooped down, bringing mail and other packages to the staff and students of Hogwarts Castle. Neville had gotten a rather large, odd looking package. And unfortunately, it was moving around quite a bit, growling and shaking the package. With a look of concern, Ron advised the fellow Gryffindor to take the package and open it where there would be less people around (translated into _less casualties_). Neville nodded his head in agreement and rushed the beastly package out of the Great Hall. Harry chuckled at this. _Poor Neville_. Some things never change. And for this, Harry was grateful.

As the owls soared throughout the Great Hall, a Daily Prophet was dropped to the left of Harry's empty plate. A set of quills was haphazardly dropped directly onto Ron's pumpkin juice, and spilled on his cloak. Cursing the winged creature, Hermione gave a laugh and with wand in hand, cast another drying spell on his clothing.

A black owl, black as night with eyes the color of honey, flew in the direction of Hermione Granger. The owl was carrying a small, delicately wrapped package. It was the color of ivory, with a deep maroon colored bow. It was rather beautiful, and when it arrived in front of Hermione, she immediately turned to Harry with a smile.

'_Oh Harry_…is this from you?' she asked, eyes full of glee.

Harry, on the other hand, had the complete opposite look on his face. His was one of concern, with a touch of skepticism.

'No, 'Mione. It's not from me…I don't know who it's from, is there a tag or something?' he said, as he picked up the box to inspect the package.

'No, no note. Do you think I should open it?' she asked Harry.

'Give it a go, 'Mione. It does look really nice…' Ron said, finishing up a stray bit of toast.

Hermione smiled, and grasped the package with both hands and peered at it. It really was beautiful. Simple, but beautiful. With her left hand holding the box steady, she began to unwrap the bow with her right hand. She unfolded the flaps of the box and looked inside. And what she found surprised her.

It was a silver rattle. A silver rattle, with a silver snake as the handle of the rattle, a snake so ugly and sinister looking, that it was truly frightening, especially for a baby's toy.

Hermione held it up, and stared at it most perplexed. No one, apart from Harry, Ron, and the rest of the Order, knew that she was pregnant.

Her eyes then focused on a small piece of parchment that was at the bottom of the box.

She placed the rattle carefully on the wooden table, and took hold of the note. And after reading the note, she began to shake slightly, eyes wide and heart beating faster than one could imagine. For the note read the following:

'_He is watching you. Always. Do not try to do anything stupid, for you will suffer the utmost consequences. And in the end, he will have you. You and the child.'_

Hermione stared straight ahead, her breathing rapid, skin as white and as pale as a sheet of ice. Harry stared at her panic-stricken face, and took hold of the note, and read it as well. He too felt his pulse increase, and his mouth went dry. Ron took the note from Harry, and read it, and re-read it, trying in his mind to decipher who might have sent the awful letter.

The members of the head table, specifically Minerva McGonagle and Severus Snape, were also watching the trio, and likewise Hermione's reaction. Hermione rarely received mail, and no one would have sent her a gift such as this in the midst of all the students. It was truly a cause for concern.

But no one had noticed the boy standing just outside the doors of the Great Hall, watching the event unfold. It would have been wise to remember the words Severus Snape uttered to Harry and Hermione that one fateful January evening, when he had returned from one of his Death Eater Meetings:

'_He knows about you two. He knows that you have become involved. But above all, and perhaps this is what matters most at this point, he knows that you, Ms. Granger, are carrying a most important treasure that has now become a…__priority__ of sorts to the Dark Lord.'_

If Voldemort knew about Harry and Hermione, who had leaked the information? Who had told him? Who had sent the package and note to Hermione?

It was the boy, the same boy now standing outside the Great Hall with a smirk across his face, watching Harry and Hermione, watching silently as she received her _gift_. The same boy who's features had grown sallow and gaunt ever since he joined the Death Eaters. The same boy who's silvery blond hair was an unmistakable trademark of his family line.

For you see, Harry and Hermione were betrayed by none other than _Draco Malfoy._


	14. Chapter 14

One bright morning, a few weeks ago, Hermione Granger had gone to Madame Pomfrey seeking…well…_medical advice, _as one shall call it. And it was at that time that Hermione had discovered that she was indeed with child. In their hushed discussion that followed the discovery, what the two witches had failed to notice was an occupied bed, all the way down the row of cots, the last one on the left by the window. And that is where Draco Malfoy lie.

He had come to Madame Pomfrey not moments before, complaining of a terrible headache and upset stomach. Normally, she would immediately turn him away and scold him for missing class, but Draco Malfoy was not looking his best these days. No, Draco had changed…and not for the better. For since he had joined the Death Eaters, Draco had become very thin, developed gaunt-like features, and, well, managed to look _dreadfully _awful. So when he did approach Madame Pomfrey and ask her if he could lie down, she guided him without word to the last cot on the left hand side, and as soon as he settled, she placed some privacy sheaths around the bed. But even though young Malfoy was not feeling up to par, this did not necessarily mean that his hearing was not perfectly intact. Malfoy managed to hear every last bit of the conversation between Madame Pomfrey and Hermione, and it was this information that he fed to the Dark Lord himself.

And in the Great Hall that very morning, Draco was soaking in every last bit of the Trio's reaction to the gift from the Dark Lord. Suddenly, he saw Professor McGonagle approach the three, and Draco quickly decided that it would be in his better interest to exit the area. He did, after all, have other things to attend to.

'Ms. Granger, are you alright?' the Headmistress asked Hermione in a hushed tone, looking down at the poor girl. Professor McGonagle looked down towards the table and carefully picked up the silver rattle to examine it.

'Yes, Professor, I'm…_well_…a bit surprised, that's all…' said Hermione, obviously still shaken.

'This came with it,' said Harry, offering up the parchment to the Headmistress. Her eyes scanned the writing.

'Well, this is…this is most disturbing… perhaps Professor Snape ought to have a look at it…' said Professor McGonagle, her eyes still scanning the paper.

'That's quite alright with me,' said Hermione. Freely offering up the rattle and note, she spoke to the Headmistress: '…you can have it all…every last bit of it.' And with a solemn look on the Headmistress' face, a taught toothless smile, she gathered Hermione's _gifts_ and approached Severus Snape, who was already waiting at the entrance of the Great Hall. The two hastily exited their way through the giant doors of the Hall, and continued their conversation in the dungeons.

After moments of silence, it was Ron who spoke first.

'You alright, 'Mione…' Ron said quietly, looking at Hermione.

And all of a sudden, it was as if her Gryffindor bravery kicked in all at once. She looked at Ron with conviction, and spoke to him.

'You know, they can watch me all they want…they, him…_whoever _it is…' she said, a most determined look on her face.

'Let them try…let them try to get to me…_us_…' she said, looking at Harry.

Harry looked at her and smiled a grim smile. She was brave, no doubt. Braver than most. And once Hermione Granger was determined, nothing in the world could stop her.

Minutes later, Harry, Ron, and Hermione placed the morning's events in the back of their minds, and the exited the Great Hall and made their way to their classes. Harry, Ron, and Hermione mostly took the same classes in their final year at Hogwarts, with a few exceptions here and there - after all, they were in fact being prepared for their future careers.

Harry and Ron selected classes that would prepare them to become Aurors, while Hermione chose classes that would help prepare her to continue her education and become a Healer. The last year of their schooling was indeed proving to be quite trying. Classes were demanding, professors were eager to give loads of assignments, and to add on top of all of this, Voldemort was still on the loose and growing stronger and stronger.

However, the bitter January days did indeed pass, as did the cold, snow-filled month of February. By the end of March, the air had become warmer, the days just a bit longer, and everyone seemed to be enjoying the spring-like atmosphere.

Hermione had received no other suspicious packages or hideous notes in the mail. Actually, things were going rather well for Hermione. She had gained a bit of weight thus far. Her abdomen was ever so slightly protruding, yet easily concealed beneath her school uniform, and with frequent checkups, she was progressing quite nicely. Much to Harry's relief, Hermione was in much higher spirits. And though her focus was of course on her school work and classes, Hermione also spent some time here and there trying to plan a much more detailed aspect of her life – _her wedding_.

Harry and Hermione decided that it was best to get married after they had graduated. It would be easier this way. Since the baby would be due sometime in early fall, they had figured that a late June wedding would suit them both. The Headmistress had offered to let them reside at the Castle after graduation, for as long as they needed. They were both humbled by her offering, and were seriously considering her decision. It was Harry, who appreciated her offer most. For he had always felt like Hogwarts was his home – the one place where he truly belonged.

Amidst the warm weather, Harry, Ron, and Hermione decided one afternoon to venture outside for a bit of fresh air. They walked down by the lake, and each chose a rock to sit on. The sun was so warm, so inviting. Hermione closed her eyes, and with a genuine smile across her face, inhaled and exhaled deeply, breathing in the spring air. She grasped her book sack, and took out a bit of parchment.

'What's that you got there?' asked Ron, as he took out a shiny red apple from his book sack to snack on.

'Oh, just a list…' said Hermione, not bothering to look up at Ron. With quill in hand, she wrote, and then stopped, and then would write again, and then stop. The continuous scratching and stopping lasted for a few moments before Harry spoke.

He turned to look at Hermione. 'Is it _that_ list?' he asked her, a smile on his face.

She picked up her eyes from the parchment and looked at him. With an unmistakable grin, she spoke to him. 'Yes, it's _that_ list,' she said, chuckling a bit after her statement.

Harry nodded, and continued staring out onto the serene lake, the grin never leaving his face.

'What list? What are you guys talking about?' asked Ron, who was obviously becoming annoyed that he was not in the loop.

'It's a guest list, Ronald. For the wedding? I need to know who would want to be invited. Well, more like who _we_ would like to come to our wedding…' she added, her quill scratching on the paper.

'Ah, I see…,' said Ron. 'Well, you just…you just keep working on that Hermione. I'm sure you're doing an _excellent_ job,' he said, grinning at her.

Hermione laughed at his remark, showing her beautiful white teeth.

Just then, Dean Thomas and Neville came up to the Trio.

'Hey Ron,' said Neville, approaching the red head, '…did you start your Charms homework yet? I know that Professor Flitwick gave us the same topic this morning, and I had a few questions about-' and before Neville could finish, a miracle occurred.

Ronald Weasley pulled out his _finished_ Charms assignment.

'Ah, here it is…wanna take a look at what I wrote?' asked Ron, placing the apple in his mouth, and taking his homework out of his book sack, obviously proud at his accomplishment.

Hermione extended her arm out to intercept the parchment. '_I don't believe it_…,' she muttered to herself, scanning the paper.

'Wow Ron - good job!' said Harry looking at his friend, a grin spreading across his face from ear to ear.

Hermione handed the paper to Neville. 'Well Ron, I must say…I _am_ impressed,' said Hermione.

'Ah, a compliment from you, 'Mione? What could be better?' he said, smiling at the young witch.

Just then Harry stood up. 'Well if you guys wouldn't mind, Hermione and I are going to have a walk around the lake,' Harry said.

'_Are we now_?' asked Hermione slyly, a grin on her face.

'Yes. We are.' And he extended his arms to Hermione. 'Come on – up. Let's go for a walk.' And Hermione obliged, holding Harry's hand for support as she stood up. The two stepped off of their individual rocks, and landed on solid ground. Hand in hand they walked together along the shore, slowly, taking in the beauty that surrounded them.

They had travelled more than halfway across the lake, where upon they climbed upon some rocks to get a better view of their surroundings. And by all means, the surroundings were absolutely_ beautiful_. The lake was without a ripple, the sky blue as the sea, and a gentle warm breeze blew around them. The water was deep around this particular portion of the lake, but it was worth the sacrifice of the view. In any case, Harry was a phenomenal swimmer, should something happen, but what would ever happen on such a serene, peaceful spring afternoon?

They sat for awhile on the smooth rocks, and then stood up, for Hermione had gotten a cramp in one of her legs and stood up to stretch. They continued standing, chit chatting about little things here and there. About wedding planning. About Harry's desire to become an Auror. About Ron's snoring that wakes up half the dormitory on some nights. And then, Harry spoke about their child.

'Mione, do you…do you want to find out if it's a boy or a girl?' he stammered, obviously nervous, running a hand through his hair. 'I mean, we don't have to, you know…but…but if you _could_, if you wanted to…_would you_?' he continued to ask her.

Still standing there, hand in hand, she looked at the ground, and then up at him, and smiled. 'I think that would be lovely,' she said to Harry, her hair blowing around in the soft wind. 'I think I'd like to know…you know me – I always like to be prepared…' she said with a laugh, and Harry joined in her amusement.

'I could talk to Madame Pomfrey about it tomorrow, and see what she has to say,' said Hermione.

They were silent for a moment before Harry spoke.

'I hope it's a boy,' said Harry softly, looking straight in front of him.

'Oh _really_…' Hermione said with a smile, looking at Harry.

'Really. I want to teach him about Quidditch, and teach him all the good hiding places in Hogwarts, and…well, stuff like that,' said Harry, still not looking at Hermione.

'Hmm…well, what if it's a _girl_? You can still teach her Quidditch and other things too, you know…' Hermione said.

Harry looked at the beautiful girl standing beside him and turned towards Hermione. He gathered her in his arms, and she tucked into his body like a puzzle piece. He spoke to her: 'You know, 'Mione…it doesn't matter, not really, if it is a boy or a girl…it just matters that it's healthy…' said Harry, looking off towards the lake.

Hermione, still nestled in his arms, spoke to him:

'_You still want to find out, don't you_…' she said, with a hidden smile.

Harry grinned, and spoke to her:

'Yea, I do.'

Hermione started to laugh, as did Harry. She picked up her head to look at him.

'I _do_ love you Harry,' she said softly to him.

'I love you too, 'Mione…_always_,' he said to her, looking into her deep brown eyes.

They embraced, and broke apart only to remain in each other's arms, staring at the vast lake that lie before them...

...And all of a sudden, without word or warning, they heard a sinister voice behind them:

'Say Granger – _do you know how to swim_?'


	15. Chapter 15

And just as soon as Harry and Hermione turned around to see who was speaking to them, Draco Malfoy shoved Hermione with great force into the lake. With a silent scream on her lips, she plummeted into the deep water below. Panic stricken, Harry thought for a split second whether he should finish off Malfoy right here and now, along with his two goons who stood with him (Crabbe and Goyle, naturally) or should he go after Hermione. His better judgment got to him, and within a split second, he dove into the chilly lake to rescue his beloved. He quickly found Hermione, and helped her to shore. Sputtering and coughing a bit along the way, Hermione was, to Harry's relief, without apparent injury. She was shaking a bit, clearly due to the frigid temperature of the lake despite the pleasant March weather. Harry helped her out of the water, and had her sit on one of the low lying rocks by the shore. He took out his white handkerchief, and transfigured it into a towel. Placing it around her, he spoke sternly to Hermione.

'Stay here. I'll be right back,' he ordered, a most serious look on his face. Continuing to cough, she looked at him and nodded.

Hermione continued to cough a bit and then soon stopped, taking in a few deep breaths. She rubbed her eyes, scanned her surroundings, and quickly placed her gaze on her would-be attacker.

_Malfoy_, she thought to herself.

Her eyes narrowed, and she had the most deadly look in her eyes. And all of a sudden, like a bolt of lightning, it hit her.

She was furious. No, she was _livid_.

How dare he – how _dare_ he push her, shove her like a piece of meat into the lake, especially in her current condition. Hermione felt the anger rising in her, overcoming her. She wanted in the worst way to get him back. _Get him back for good_, she thought to herselfAnd then as quickly as the onset of her internal rage came about, she snapped out of her thoughts.

_Good lord,_ _Hermione, get a hold of yourself_, she thought.

It wasn't like her to become so angry, so _out-of-control­_ with her emotions. Hermione was very predictable, very level-headed. And these thoughts that suddenly overcame her…well…it just wasn't_ like_ her. Never before did she feel so much hatred and anger towards a single individual. Perhaps it was the pregnancy – _yes_, perhaps it was the hormones that made her feel this way. She closed her eyes and then opened them wide, shaking her head fiercely, as if trying to dismiss the conversation in her head, and instead placed her focused on the two boys that stood a few feet in front of her.

Crabbe and Goyle had a mighty good laugh at seeing Hermione plummet into the lake that afternoon. It was also common knowledge that the two goons had the attention span of a small flea, for they had quickly spotted a pudgy first year Hufflepuff, who was just begging to be teased and tortured according to their standards. The two boys ran off, while Draco stood alone. He was now stepping ever closer to Harry and Hermione, admiring the soggy-looking pair.

'Well Potter…save the day again, didn't you?' Malfoy said, a sneer across his lips. 'Thanks to you, the M_udblood_ isn't resting at the bottom of the lake, now is she?' he said with a most disgusted look.

'Piss off, Malfoy…what the hell are you still doing at Hogwarts anyway? Shouldn't you be somewhere where you're actually _wanted_?' Harry said, moving closer to the blond headed boy, the rage unmistakable on his face, eyes narrowing to look at the young Death Eater.

'_Wanted_, Potter? Who cares about being _wanted_. I have more power now then you'll ever dream,' Draco said through clenched teeth, still nearing the Boy-Who-Lived.

'Yeah, _some_ power….Does it come with a one-way trip to Azkaban?' Harry inquired. He then continued speaking to Malfoy. 'Oh, and speaking of Azkaban – how_ is_ your Dad doing?' Harry asked sarcastically, knowing fully well that the oldest Malfoy was in fact pending trial. He had been recognized and caught as one of Voldemort's inner circle. Harry knew that it was just a matter of time before one of the other Death Eaters would break him free, and even though he was well aware of this possibility, Harry was currently finding great joy in rubbing the current circumstances in Draco's face.

The words Harry spoke to Malfoy stung him to the core. And just then, an infuriated Malfoy, with a scowl upon his face, reached for his wand as Harry did the same.

'No!' shouted Hermione, as she began to stand up and go towards Harry.

'Mione, get back!' shouted Harry, not taking his eyes off of Malfoy.

And it was Draco who threw the first curse. Hermione quickly ducked behind a larger rock, a rock that would hopefully offer her more protection.

Harry and Malfoy continued to battle. Spell after spell, curse after curse. The two were bloodied and bruised in no time. The spat continued for minutes, and it was at one point, when Draco commanded the Expelliarmus curse, that Harry's wand flew out of his hand and landed on the shore a few feet from Hermione. Malfoy sneered at his proposed victory, and was about to utter another painful spell, when all of a sudden, a large shadow loomed over Draco. He suddenly rested his wand arm by his side, and turned to look behind him.

And all of a sudden, a large pail, a large empty aluminum pail, came out of nowhere, and wacked him hard on the side of the head. The blond boy fell unconscious, not even getting a chance to recognize his attacker. He fell on his back, completely oblivious to the world.

Harry, on the other hand - nose bleeding, cheek scratched, pants torn and bleeding, looked up at the giant shadow, and spoke to him:

'Thanks, Hagrid.'

Hagrid looked at Draco, and then back at Harry. A few seconds passed before Hagrid addressed Harry. 'You don't think he recognized me, do ya?' asked Hagrid, in a worried tone, again looking at the bloodied Malfoy. 'I mean, he was attacking ya, Harry, and, well…I didn't have my wand on me, ya see, and so I did the next best thing-' he said, looking down at his pail, '-wackin' him 'oer the head with this.'

'Hagrid, I don't think he knew it was you. You…you caught him by surprise…' and Harry continued speaking while looking down at Draco, '…and you got him good, too! I suppose we can't just leave him there, huh?' asked Harry with a slight smile, weighing the options as he continued to look at Malfoy's wand in his hand.

'Harry - he needs to be taken to the hospital wing,' said Hermione, who had gotten up from her crouched position, and was now standing next to Hagrid. 'As much as I'd like to leave him here to rot, he needs medical attention,' said a level-headed Hermione.

Harry looked with disdain at the Slytherin student. '_Fine_,' said Harry, obviously annoyed, and well aware at all the house points and detentions that would await him upon his return to the Castle. He muttered a levitating spell, and Draco soared a few feet in the air hanging like a ragdoll.

'Harry, lemme go with-' but Hagrid didn't get a chance to complete his thought. Harry interrupted him. 'No, Hagrid – I'm not letting you take the blame. It's alright…I'll take care of it,' said Harry, glancing up at Draco.

Hermione turned and looked at Hagrid. 'Harry's right – you…_you stay put_,' said Hermione. Hagrid opened his mouth, and then closed it. He gave a brief nod, turned, and started to make his way towards his home.

Hermione – wet, and soggy, with a towel around her shoulders, walked with Harry (who was still bruised and bleeding), as he was preceeded by a lifeless-looking Draco Malfoy, floating in the air. The two hurried quickly towards the Castle, amongst the gasps and whispers that were heard along the way. As luck would have it, they arrived at the doors of the castle, just as Professor Snape was exiting the castle to retrieve a few ingredients for potions class from the Forbidden Forest. He stood to the side of the doors, arms crossed, allowing Harry and Hermione to pass, and watching them with a most peculiar look on his face. Without saying a word, he thought to himself that the potion ingredients can wait, and followed silently behind Harry, Hermione, and Draco to the hospital wing.

Along the way, they crossed paths with Professor McGonagle, who spurted and stuttered and was flabbergasted at the sight that was in front of her. She too followed the three to the hospital wing, and fell into step with the Potions Master.

After Madame Pomfrey patched up Draco, she left him sleeping quietly, and then proceeded to tend to Harry, who was sitting next to Hermione. The two Professors had been silent this entire time in the Hospital Wing, when suddenly, Severus Snape decided to speak.

'Pray tell, Potter-' Snape stated, looking down at Harry, '-what was it _this _time?'

'_He tripped_,' Harry stated quietly, not bothering to look at the Professor, and instead concentrated on the laceration Madame Pomfrey was trying to heal on his right hand.

'Amusing, Potter. To say the least,' Snape said, glaring at Harry.

'Potter,' the Headmistress interjected, moving closer to Harry and away from Severus, '…no matter if you were defending yourself…or Miss Granger for that matter, it should have not resolved…to _this_' she said, looking at Harry, and then Draco, and back to Harry.

'I'm afraid house points will be deducted. And likewise, a detention is in order,' said the Headmistress, a most displeased look upon her face.

Severus Snape, looking especially smug, spoke to Harry.

'Detention, Potter: my office, tomorrow evening, seven o'clock,' he said to the boy. And as he made his way to exit the infirmary, turned around and spoke to Hermione. 'And Miss Granger – seeing as you were also _involved_ in this matter, you are also expected tomorrow evening. ' She looked at Snape in disbelief, not believing what she was hearing. She was expected at detention as well? What had she done wrong? With one look at Professor Snape's face, she thought it best not to argue with his decision. She merely put her head down, and allowed the Potion Master to exit the hospital wing, robes billowing behind him.

The Headmistress, in the mean time, continued to lecture Harry on controlling his temper. Harry had heard this speech before, in fact many times before. Some times, his temper got to the best of him. And he did admit to himself, that he did lose his temper for a good reason this afternoon. A _very_ good reason. If he had not been there, it was likely that Hermione would have drowned. And this was something that Harry could not get out of his mind. This was something, that was down right unforgiveable.

The Headmistress soon left, and moments after, Draco began to stir. Madame Pomfrey hurried to the injured Slytherin. She arched his head, and had him drink yet another potion, this one a deep purple. The potion immediately quieted him, and she reached out her hand to check the wound on his left leg. It was indeed healing quite nicely. Madame Pomfrey made her way back to the two and was about to dismiss them, when Hermione looked up at the witch and spoke.

'Madame Pomfrey, can…can we talk to you for a moment,' Hermione said in a sort of whisper. Madame Pomfrey nodded with a quizzical look on her face, and sat down in a chair, facing Harry and Hermione.

Hermione began to speak again. 'Harry and I…we…well, before all this happened today, we had…_Oh!_' she said, and remembered that Draco Malfoy was nursing his wounds on a cot several feet in back of them. Hermione took hold of her wand, and muttered a silencing spell around the three of them.

'Sorry,' Hermione said, looking sheepish. She began to speak again. 'Harry and I were talking this afternoon, and we…we want to know if we can find out the sex of the baby,' she said, looking at Madame Pomfrey. The mediwitch looked at Hermione with soft eyes, and spoke to her. 'Of course, dear. Here: lie down,' she instructed Hermione, and she placed a curtain around the cot to protect Hermione's privacy.

'Lift up your shirt, Miss Granger,' Madame Pomfrey commanded, and once Hermione had situated herself on the cot, she lifted her shirt up slightly to reveal her abdomen. Madame Pomfrey placed her wand over Hermione's abdomen, and spoke a few complex spells. All of a sudden, Hermione's stomach glowed a golden color. Harry looked in awe, as Madame Pomfrey continued the incantation.

And all of a sudden, Hermione's stomach started to morph into a different color, a color other than gold. Harry watched the event unfold, and then all of a sudden, a smile grew upon his face, a smile that stretched from ear to ear, and he looked up at Hermione.

Hermione's abdomen had turned blue. The softest shade of blue, the color of a cloudless sky.

Hermione looked down in awe, and smiled. She looked back up at Harry, who was obviously overcome with happiness. His eyes began to well with tears -tears of happiness, no less. He would be a father to a son. _His_ son. As the two continued to focus their gaze on each other, and on Hermione's abdomen, the Mediwitch spoke.

'A boy,' Madame Pomfrey said in a warm voice. She too was smiling, continuing to look at Hermione's abdomen. '_It's a boy,_' she whispered.


	16. Chapter 16

The day passed in a blur for the pair. But it passed _especially_ fast for Harry Potter.

'_A boy_,' Harry continued to think to himself, and indeed he thought this throughout the rest of the day. Throughout classes, throughout dinner, even when he crossed paths briefly with Malfoy once again in the Great Hall as he stood up to make his exit. But nothing, _nothing _could bring Harry down from cloud nine. He was going to have a _son_…

Harry, who simply could not contain his excitement, had spilled the beans at dinner and told Ron the good news.

Ron slapped Harry on the back and with a grin, shouted, 'Well done, mate – well done! Wait until we teach him all the in's and out's of Quidditch!' Hermione rolled her eyes at Ron's statement, but smiled none-the-less.

After dinner, Harry, Ron, and Hermione settled in the common room. It was, of course, time for a bit of homework, so the three took their seats at one of the old oak tables in the common room. The table was situated in front of a window that looked down upon the courtyard of the castle. Every now and then, Harry would steal a moment and glance at the window, taking in the beautiful evening sky. The sky had turned from the deepest orange, to a rust color, and finally navy. Stars soon began to peak through the clouds, and Harry had to admit that it did look quite lovely.

Hermione was writing mid sentence, when she paused, and looked up at Harry. She looked down at her parchment, took a glance at Ron, who's head was on the table, drooling on his Transfiguration book, obviously trying to learn by osmosis. She then looked at Harry again, swallowed, and addressed him.

'Harry?' she asked quietly, looking up at him.

'Yea 'Mione,' said Harry, still continuing to scratch his quill on his parchment, working on a Charms assignment.

'You know what happened today...how you pulled me out of the lake,' she added in a small voice.

'Yea – and thank God I was there…' said Harry in a low tone, still not bothering to look up and continuing to concentrate on his homework.

'Well, after you pulled me out…I…I sat there, and I looked at Malfoy, and…and I just felt this _thing,_ all this _anger_ come over me…I…I thought these horrific thoughts, about what I would do to Malfoy if I got a hold of him…' said Hermione, with a worried look on her face, staring out at the night sky. 'I'm sure it's nothing, though…you know, it was just probably a hormone thing or something…' she said, her voice trailing off. She turned her head to look at Harry, who all of a sudden, popped his head up to look at Hermione.

He was silent for a moment, face masked with concern. Hermione was not an angry person in general, but she did at times have a bit of a temper. But for her to feel something like _this_? It was all a bit out of character for her. Maybe it was _just _hormones, Harry continued to think. Or maybe it was something _else_.

Harry moved his body around to face Hermione, as he started to open his mouth to speak to her. 'Mione, I-' Harry said, but he was soon cut off.

They were suddenly interrupted by a very out of breath second year student by the name of Thomas. He had come flying through the portrait into the common room as if his arse was on fire. He scanned the common room, and stopped right in front of Harry.

'Hey Thomas, what's up?' asked Harry.

'I have a message…a message from…from Professor Snape,' Thomas said, looking at Harry, as he was trying his darndest to catch his breath.

'He said…he said that your detention is changed from tomorrow evening to tonight. He said that…that Hermione is expected as well,' said Thomas, as he looked at Hermione, and back at Harry.

'Well, what time does he expect us to be there?' asked Harry in a somewhat annoyed voice.

'Um…' Thomas said. '…in fifteen minutes. Eight o'clock -Yea, that's what he told me…eight,' said Thomas, who was still trying to catch his breath.

Hermione turned her head to look at the grandfather clock behind them.

'7:50 – we only have ten minutes!' said Hermione, who was not prepared to serve her detention on such short notice.

'Blimey, you two better get a move on,' said Ron, who in the midst of hearing Thomas stampede through the common room, had awoken and cursed at the wet puddle of drool on his book. After a brief moment, Harry spoke to Hermione.

'Well, come on,' he said to Hermione. With a disgruntled look, she took his hand, thanked Thomas for the message, and lifted herself off of her chair.

'Good luck guys,' said Ron, taking out his wand, about to administer a drying spell to his book.

'Don't wait up for us…' trailed Harry's voice, as he made his way through the portrait of the fat lady, and walked quickly with Hermione down towards the dungeons.

_I wonder what made him change the detention to tonight_, thought Hermione as she carefully made her way down the marble steps of the grand staircase.

But the only one who knew the answer to that question, was the Potions Master himself.

The same man, who was right at this moment, waiting for the pair down in the dungeons. The same man, clad in all black, who was seated in the front of his potions classroom, an empty glass of brandy by his left arm, unmarked papers strewn ever so carefully about his desk. With his right arm propped up on the old wooden desk, he placed his head in his hand, sighed, and with his eyes closed ever so softly, waited in silence for Harry Potter and Hermione Granger.


	17. Chapter 17

Severus Snape sat quietly at his desk. His old, shabby-looking, wooden desk. A desk that had seen better days, no doubt. He opened his eyes for a moment, and took his head out of his hand. He paused for a moment, scanning the unmarked papers that sat in front of him. The potions classroom was dimly lit, as it often was. Bottles upon bottles, all different shapes and sizes, all filled with different contents, lined the walls to the side and in the front of the classroom. Severus looked around at the various bottles, noting a few empty ones on the right hand side that needed to be filled. Filled with ingredients that he was supposed to get this afternoon, in the Forbidden Forest. But as circumstances would have it, Severus was…somewhat _detained_ this afternoon, and put his trip to the Forest on hold momentarily.

The Potions Master continued to sit in silence. It was not a mistake that he had changed Harry and Hermione's detention until tonight. It was also not a mistake when he requested that Hermione serve a detention as well, although he had to admit that she didn't appear to be at fault regarding the events of this past afternoon. A detention was a perfect alibi to feed information to those that needed it….or those that_ appeared_ to need it.

After a few moments, the Potions Master heard the clip clop of shoes on solid ground. Harry and Hermione were nearing the classroom. The sounds of shoes stopped just in front of his door. A firm knock was heard. Harry's knock, no less.

The Potions Master sighed. 'Enter,' he spoke loudly.

The door opened slowly, and Harry walked in, followed by Hermione.

'You…you wanted to see us, Sir?' asked Harry, still standing in the doorway.

Severus looked at Harry. 'Sit,' he commanded quietly, nodding to the empty chairs in front of his desk.

Harry and Hermione slowly made their way to the front of the classroom, and sat down in the old wooden seats. Harry sat with his arms crossed, while Hermione placed her hands in her lap.

Severus sat for a moment, staring at the two in silence. He then got up from his desk, and walked around behind his desk, admiring the many bottles that enveloped the classroom. He picked up one in particular, took a closer look at it, and placed it back ever so carefully on the shelf.

With his back still turned, he addressed Harry and Hermione.

'Perhaps this is information that is, in fact…too late in coming to you…but none-the less, it would do you well to be…_informed_….' he said to them, walking behind his desk.

He stopped, turned around, and looked at the pair. Focusing his gaze on Hermione, he addressed her.

'Miss Granger, to whom did you speak to regarding your…_condition_?' he said, continuing to look at her.

Hermione looked up at him with a quizzical look. Her eyes shifted back and forth. She began racking her brain of whom she might have spoken to regarding her pregnancy.

'Well,' she began, '…Harry, obviously…and then Ron of course…and, well I had gone to Madame Pomfrey initially, but that was when I first found out, you see…'

Severus Snape continued standing, and focused on Hermione.

'And pray tell, Miss Granger – when you learned of the …_news_…was there anyone present in the hospital wing that might have overheard you?'

Hermione broke eye contact with the Potions Master. Her brow furrowed, and she tried her darndest to remember that very day when she had approached the Mediwitch. Eyes scanning her surroundings, she was trying to remember every detail of that morning.

'I…well, I came in,' she spoke softly, to no one in particular, trying to capture the scene in her mind '…and then I found Madame Pomfrey, and she was over in the corner before she came over to me because she was tending to-' and then Hermione stopped in mid sentence.

Her eyes snapped up to meet the Potion Masters'. Her eyes grew large, her mouth formed a small, silent 'O' shape, and she slowly covered her right hand over her mouth.

Hermione Granger had, that very evening, realized something very important, very crucial. That evening, in the dungeons, she remembered that on the morning she had found out she was with child, there was another person in the Hospital Wing.

_Draco Malfoy._

Severus Snape, taking the silent cue that Hermione had figured it out, spoke to the two.

'Yes, Miss Granger – it was Draco who had overheard you. He was the one: the one who had told the Dark Lord, the one who had told him that you are with child,' Severus said, continuing to look at the shocked expression on Hermione's face.

Harry had an unmistakable scowl upon his face. He uncrossed his arms, and placed his hands on either side of the chair on which he said. Scooting to the edge of the seat, he spoke in a rapid tone:

'You mean – him? That lousy, no good-' and before Harry had a chance to finish, Hermione took her hand off of her mouth and spoke.

'He did it – it was him, he told You-Know-Who! I…I didn't place a silencing spell that morning in the Hospital Wing…Oh how stupid, how absolutely _stupid _ of me…and…and I'm sure that _thing_, that awful rattle was from him too, and…AND the lake, what happened at the lake! For God sake he could have killed me-' and Hermione got up and began to pace back and forth, continuing to speak loudly, her words echoing off the walls of the classroom.

Severus scowled at her. 'Miss Granger, sit down.' But she did not hear him. Not a word. She continued rattling off, one hand placed on her forehead, yelling at no one in particular.

'-And who knows WHAT would could have happened to the baby!' And as Hermione continued to pace in back of her seat, she felt something. Something she had felt this very afternoon, something she had felt as she sat perched on a rock, sopping wet, watching the blond haired boy sneer at her. And Hermione felt the anger rush up upon her at this very moment, the anger, the fury, overcoming her. She continued to yell.

'That creep! That _unmerciful_ creep! – I don't care how, I don't know when – he will pay for what he did! All the _hell _he has put me through -all this time, I-I swear to God, when I get my hands on him-'

…And all of a sudden, a jar, a large glass jar containing close to two liters of salt water, suddenly burst. Without word or warning. The jar just…_exploded_. Severus turned around immediately to see the shards fall to the ground below. The sound of the glass shattering quieted Hermione immediately. She gasped, stopped in her tracks, and once again put her hand over her mouth, silently gazing at the water that was dripping down the wooden shelving.

Severus Snape was, for once, at a loss for words.

He was shocked. Impressed, yes for a single moment. But none-the-less, shocked. And obviously concerned. He had known that Hermione had a bit of a temper at times, but always managed to keep things under control. Out of the three, he had deemed her the level-headed one, the one who always managed to have a keen instinct, and a good head on her shoulders. But this? This was not like Hermione at all. _This,_ was a totally different person.

The tension in the classroom was broken by none other than Harry Potter. The concern on his face was unmistakable, as he gazed at her.

'Mione – calm down. _Seriously_. You need to just breathe…' he said, looking at her, trying to calm her down by speaking to her softly.

She took another glance to her left at the pieces of glass that were strewn on the floor. She sat down quietly, and looked at the Potions Master.

Moments passed. With tears in her eyes, voice cracking, she looked up at Severus and spoke barely in a whisper.

'_What's happening to me_?'

Perhaps what concerned the Potions Master the most, was that he did in fact not know what was happening to her. He remembered her wild look when she ran from one of the Order meetings, the meeting when she told everyone that she was with child. And he saw her now, much in the same state. Although, Hermione had not managed to break anything on that night at the Order meeting, she obviously did tonight. If this continued, if her emotions continued to control her like this, she would put herself, _and_ her child in danger. And even perhaps those around her.

After a moment of silence, Severus sat down ever so carefully on the edge of his chair and addressed Hermione.

'Miss Granger, under other circumstances, I would have deducted fifty house points for sheer carelessness, however…I must admit that your actions tonight warrant…the utmost _concern._'

He continued looking at her, and she looked back at the fallen pieces. And as if in a trance, she continued to look at the shards, whisked her hand, and the pieces floated back up to their original resting place, forming the intact jar once again. It was as if the jar had never been broken in the first place.

Severus took one look at Harry's face, which was in fact, priceless. Harry sat there stunned, stunned at what he had just seen Hermione do. He knew Hermione was good with spells. But not _that_ good.

Severus raised his eyebrows and peered at the jar. He looked down at his desk, and folded his hands.

'How long have you been able to do wandless magic, Miss Granger?' Snape inquired, a mix of concern and unease on his face.

'I…I don't know…just recently, I suppose. It only happened once before. One other time,' she said quietly, looking at the laces of her oxfords.

Severus sat back in his seat, arms now folded. He took a look at Harry.

'Well, perhaps what the Dark Lord is stating is true – I must admit that I did not believe it at first when he spoke of it at the latest meeting, but seeing it with my own eyes has bought…a certain _light_ to the situation,' the Potions Master continued.

'What l_ight_?' asked Harry, who squinted to look at Snape in the candlelight of the classroom. He took one look at Hermione, looked at her slightly protruding abdomen, and continued to focus his gaze on her beautiful face, as she continued to stare at the floor.

'_What's happening to her_,' Harry whispered, still looking at Hermione, who refused to look at him, a tear drop plopping onto the front of her blouse.

'It appears, Potter, that the Dark Lord isn't placing as much emphasis on you these days. Oh, make no mistake that he does want you gone, that much is certain. But he now has something else in mind. Something greater,' said Snape, who plucked a stray hair from his robes.

'You are, of course, well aware of the connection between you and the Dark Lord? Surely you recall your dismal attempts at Occlumency,' the Potions Master sneered, not forgetting the time that Harry had seeped into Snape's thoughts.

'Yeah…yeah I know,' said Harry, looking down at his lap for a brief moment.

'The connection between you and the Dark Lord still exists. Be that is it may, he has tapped into not only your emotions, but other emotions as well. Strong emotions. Miss Granger's emotions, to be exact. And what he has felt, the potency of her emotions, is what the Dark Lord has made as his focus. He feels her strength. Her _anger…_' said the Potions Master, now looking at Hermione, who had popped her head up to look at Harry, a tear streaked face with eyes full of sadness.

'You mean…you mean it's just not about me anymore…is it. It's her. He wants _her _now, doesn't he?' asked Harry, who focused his gaze on Hermione.

'No, Potter. Of course it's not all about you anymore. It's about something much greater.' Severus Snape got up quickly, and made his way around to the front of the desk, directly in front of where the pair sat.

He looked down at Hermione, and spoke to her.

'This is why I had asked you to serve detention tonight. I had to see it for myself – what the Dark Lord was speaking of. And I admit, I am impressed, no-less, Miss Granger. But I fear that should you keep placing your emotions in a place that is detectable, the circumstances will prove to be most unfortunate. If he is able to peer into your thoughts, he will use this against you, I am most certain. I am not offering a solution. I am merely stating the obvious,' he spoke to her, while she continued to look at the floor, wiping a stray tear with the sleeve of her sweater.

He continued to speak to her.

'Yes, Draco was the one that betrayed you. And yes, he was the one who sent you the object in the mail. But Granger-' and at this, she looked up at him, '-you must place your feelings somewhere that they cannot be used against you. You must learn to control your emotions. He can penetrate Potter's mind, and through him, he can surely get to you. You must learn to shelter your thoughts, your emotions, since the risk is great that you _will _come in direct contact with the Dark Lord himself.'

His last phrase gave her goose bumps. '_Come in contact with the Dark Lord_.' Yes, she thought, it was most likely only a matter of time before she would. Only a matter of time…

She continued to look at the Potions Master, into eyes as dark as night, and lowered her head once again. This anger, this thing that she felt, it wasn't new. Well, not really new. She had been feeling agitated lately, within the past few weeks. But, it had gotten worse. Out of control, it seemed. And something, something needed to be done.

Severus sighed inaudibly, and looked at the ground.

'No solution?' said Harry quietly, looking at Snape. 'There's always…always a solution, I mean…_something_ can be done…' said Harry, looking desperately at Severus. The Potions Master crossed his arms, and spoke.

'Potter - as I stated _clearly_ before, I do not offer a solution. I offer a mere…_alternative_ of sorts...' he said, looking at the Boy Who Lived.

Severus placed his gaze on Hermione, and spoke quietly to her.

'Miss Granger – I believe it is time to teach _you _Occlumency.'


	18. Chapter 18

And so, the Potions Master proved to be true to his word. At least in _this_ instance.

Severus Snape gave Hermione Occlumency lessons on a fairly regular basis, about once or twice every week or so, and were undeniably cleverly disguised. A 'detention' here or there, was an easy way to mask what was really going on deep in the dungeons on those chosen evenings.

The Occlumency lessons, were proving beneficial to the young Gryffindor. Hermione had had no unwanted tendencies, no intense feelings or emotions that she could not control. Hermione was in fact quite determined and focused during her lessons - few questions if any, never inquiring the Potion Master's reasoning or thought-process. She was a compliant student, and he was a willing teacher. And, she was proving to be quite a good Occlumens, to the Potion Masters' surprise. Well, perhaps it was not all that surprising after all. Hermione was very, _very_ intelligent, and this was of course something that Severus recognized and acknowledged silently. Another unspoken acknowledgement was perhaps one that was buried deep down inside himself, an emotion that was in a way, at the root behind the reasoning why Severus had decided to give Hermione lessons in the first place. One must remember, that Severus Snape was not a nice man, by any means.

In truth, Severus Snape, was very, _very _selfish man.

The whole cause of giving Hermione Occlumency lessons, was indeed a well thought out plan. He did not have to give her lessons. He did not have to help her, or the boy that was the bane of his existence. But yes, in many ways, this _did _have to do with the 'boy.' Or rather, the boy's mother. For Severus, after all these years, still yearned for the woman who had captured his heart, years upon years ago. And in some small miniscule way, the mere notion that he was helping Hermione meant to him that he was still repaying a debt to the woman whom he would always yearn for. And so, the Potions Master taught Hermione how to shield her thoughts and emotions, in hopes that when the time comes, she would be able to survive. For herself,_ and_ her child.

The weeks pressed on, and before the Trio noticed, the days had grown longer, the flowers had begun to sprout, and to every seventh year's dismay, the N.E.W.T. exams were fast approaching. The teachers were not lenient by any means when assigning homework, for the seventh year students needed to be at their prime when taking these final examinations. They were, after all, preparing to go out and make a substantial contribution to the wizarding world. Or at least they hoped.

Harry and Ron were both very eager to begin their careers as Aurors. Each had planned to work as hard as they could during these next few weeks in order to achieve their dream. If they proved to be successful, they would begin training at the end of June. Harry knew that if he did indeed pass all of his classes and succeeded in being accepted as an Auror in training, that June would prove to be a very, _very_ busy month for him. Harry and Hermione had officially set their wedding date for June 10th .

One warm morning in late April, the Trio found themselves sitting at their house table, eating breakfast in the Great Hall. This was, by no means, an unfamiliar site to those that passed by. However, it was most interesting to note that all three Gryffindor students were bent over their books and parchment, completing some last minute assignments before heading off to classes for the day. They worked in silence, with a pause here and there for a spoonful of oatmeal, or a bit of biscuit.

Amongst the silence, Harry had noticed a brush of cloak beside him, and turned to his fellow classmate who had sat down next to Harry, and opposite of Hermione.

'Hey Lavender,' said Harry in a preoccupied tone, pausing briefly to nod his head towards her in acknowledgement as he simultaneously reached in front of him and plucked a green apple from the golden-colored bowl that sat in the middle of the table.

'Hi Harry,' she said with a yawn, digging in her book sack for a textbook and a spare bit of parchment. 'I swear, these teachers…if I knew things would be _this _difficult,' her voice trailed off, as she opened a book and began to skim the pages of her Divination text. Ron picked up his head and looked at Lavender.

'You still taking that God-awful course, eh? How is Trelawney doing these days? Any good predictions lately?' asked Ron with a smirk, as he put his quill down, and moved his Transfiguration book to the left of him to make room for another bowl of oatmeal. Harry looked at the head table. Sure enough, amongst the other teachers who were already present at breakfast, there was Professor Trelawney, trying like heck to cut into a grapefruit. He could see her jerking her head every now and then, obviously from being squirted, and he could see her mouth moving, obviously talking to herself and scolding the grapefruit. Harry smiled.

She was _pretty_ goofy. Harmless, but goofy.

'_Yes, Ron_,' said Lavender in a somewhat defensive voice, mildly scowling at the boy she used to date. 'Professor Trelawney is _wonderful_ – as always. And I must say, I feel like I am _really _starting to make some worthy predictions myself,' said the fellow Gryffindor, who at the end of her last statement sat up straighter with a smug look of pride on her face.

Hermione snorted and continued to scribble on her parchment. Divination was a very, _very_ sore subject for Hermione Granger. It was not a subject that she felt was worth teaching. Or even learning, for that matter.

Lavender noted Hermione's reaction and glared at her.

'Well, it _is _a rather fascinating subject, Divination is. It's just that…well, I suppose like every other teacher around here, the homework is just piled on…do they not think that we ought to have a _life_? I mean it _is_ our last year here! And we really ought to have some fun, especially with _you know who on the loose!' _she said matter-of-factly.

Hermione couldn't take it anymore. The girl absolutely annoyed her to no end.

Hermione gathered all her belongings and shoved them into her book sack. Giving Ron and Harry a toothless smile, and without even bothering to glance at Lavender, she bid the boys farewell, and took off for her first class. Lavender soon followed, giving Ron a glare, and headed out to the courtyard to clear her mind before class.

Hermione made her way out of the Great Hall. All of a sudden, she stopped in her tracks, and smacked her forehead. She scrunched up her face and groaned.

Hermione had left her Potions book on her bed.

She would definitely need it for class, and did not want to suffer the shame of being unprepared for class by Hogwarts' favorite teacher. She looked up at the moving staircases, and started up the first set of stairs towards Gryffindor Tower. Although mildly out of breath, she reached her Tower in a relatively short amount of time. Upon reaching the portrait of the fat lady, who should walk out of the portrait, but none other than Ginny Weasley.

'Hey Hermione,' said Ginny with a smile on her face. She was dressed in her school uniform, red shiny hair up in a ponytail. She walked closer to Hermione, looked around cautiously, and spoke to her in a whisper, even though the two girls were alone near the staircase.

'_How are you feeling? Have you finally decided on a name?_' asked Ginny, the excitement unmistakable on her face. Ginny had gotten word from Ron that Hermione was expecting, and truth be told, Hermione was actually quite glad that Ginny knew. She would have told her herself, but Ron had beat her to the punch when a week or two ago Ginny had caught him in the common room one evening, trying to tie a wash cloth around the bottom half of a watermelon, stating to Harry, 'well mate, why don't you give it a go – I'm sure it's just like changing a baby!' Never the less, Ginny was proving to be very helpful and kind regarding the whole situation, and she was someone who Hermione realized whom she could depend on and trust to help her out in lieu of her current state.

'I'm doing OK Gin – no names yet, although we are still open to suggestions,' said Hermione softly with a grin on her face.

'Oh, that concealment charm is really working wonders – you can't even_ tell _you're pregnant!' said Ginny, bending down a bit to take a closer look at Hermione's abdomen.

Hermione had to admit that she had done a pretty good job at performing a concealment charm to hide her unborn child during school hours. Though her abdomen had not grown extremely large, the 'baby bump,' when it was visible, was clearly noticeable to Harry, Ron, Ginny, and the other Order members.

All of a sudden, Ginny looked at Hermione, face full of concern.

'Wait – what are you doing up here in the first place? Shouldn't you be eating!? Hermione Granger, do NOT tell me that you are skipping out on breakfast!' the red head spoke sternly to Hermione, waving a finger at her. Hermione smiled. The similarities between Ginny and her Mother were truly uncanny.

'No, no Gin! Forgot my Potions text, that's all….And you _know _how Snape is,' said Hermione, with a sideways grin and a chuckle.

'Well…alright then. See you later for lunch?' asked Ginny.

'Sure – see you then,' said Hermione with a warm grin on her face, as she began to make her way through the portrait. Hermione traveled up one more flight of steps, and found her Potions book exactly where she had left it before breakfast: on the foot of her bed.

'_There you are_,' she said to herself, as she took the book by the spine and shoved it into her sack.

Hermione paused for a moment, turned and walked a few feet, and stole a glance out of the window that was next to her bed. She inhaled and exhaled deeply, a smile on her face. _Beautiful – just beautiful_, she thought to herself, as she peered at the light blue sky, and the lake that glistened ever so slightly in the early morning sunlight. Hermione reminded herself that she would have to ask Ginny to sit outside with her so they could eat lunch together later on in the day. A day like this was just too good to give up.

She glanced from the window to her well-made bed, a bed that seemed awfully inviting at the moment. Hermione yawned and stretched her mouth wide_Well_, she thought to herself, _I suppose it couldn't hurt if I just laid down and rested for a short while...I am pretty tired and perhaps a quick nap would freshen me up_. She smiled at the idea and looked around at the empty dormitory. Hermione, still dressed in her school uniform and with shoes tied to her petite feet, sat down upon the bed. Not even bothering to draw back the covers, she immediately curled up on her left side on top of her quilt, and closed her eyes. In no time, Hermione fell into a deep slumber.

…_Hermione was standing on top of a Tower. The Astronomy Tower to be exact. The weather was warm, peaceful, quiet. By looking at the sky, one could immediately identify that it was near sunset. The orangey glow of the atmosphere and the wisps of clouds here and there made for a truly breathtaking sight. She was standing on the Tower…however she was not alone. Another person, another figure was standing opposite her. Who…what…could that be - Professor Snape? Yes, Professor Snape was standing opposite her, looking down at her. As if in slow motion, she was speaking softly to him, gesturing to him. Words of thanks, no? She looked grateful, almost relieved while speaking to him, a warm smile on her face. His face, held no emotion. _

…_And then she reaches out to him. Offering an embrace of friendship, perhaps? She smiles, and yes, she outstretches her arms to hug him, reaches up and places her arms around his neck. And Snape, still without emotion, acknowledges the embrace and snakes one arm around her waist. And what for the other arm? All of a sudden, he slowly grasps a dagger from beneath his cloak, and as Hermione continues her embrace, still smiling, eyes closed, he does the unthinkable:_

_Without word or warning, Severus Snape plunged the knife deep into the middle of Hermione's back. _

_Her face once full of happiness now shows alarm, as she pulls away slowly, warm brown eyes looking into his. He removes his other arm from her waist and withdraws the knife. She takes a few steps back and places her hand behind her back where she was stabbed. With eyes wide and mouth open, looks back at her right hand, now covered in blood. 'Why?' she asks in a pleading voice. 'Why?' she asks again, pleading for an answer, voice cracking. And suddenly, her eyes rolled to the back of her head, and she slumped into a heap on the top of the Tower, leaving the Potions Master standing over her, murder weapon in hand. _

She awoke with a start and immediately sat up in bed. Breathing heavily, feeling the perspiration on her palms, she looked around the common room, eyes darting back and forth at a rapid speed. She reached around to her back. It was...it was so _real_…almost as if she could feel the pain, feel the warm blood...Moments passed before she collected herself, and her breathing returned to normal. All of a sudden, the clock in the Castle struck: it was eight thirty, and Hermione knew that if she did not hurry, she would be late to class. She quickly gathered up her belongings and headed off to the dungeons without moments notice.

There was, another person who had seen this very dream, this frightening and unsettling dream. The other dreamer was still sitting up in his bed when he heard the clock in the Castle. He too was drenched in sweat, and appeared to be suffering a bit more than the other dreamer. He was hot, nauseated, troubled with his thoughts. But this, this was not the time to dwell on what he had just seen– not at the moment, at least. He would deal with this later. He had other matters to attend to, for he knew that he was expected in the classroom in a few short minutes.

Afterall, Severus Snape did not like being late for class.

And unbeknownst to the Potions Master and the young Gryffindor, each had secretly vowed not to reveal the dream to the other. After all, it was only a dream..._wasn't it_?


	19. Chapter 19

She stared at the old, weathered wooden door that led to the Potions classroom. She did not place herself directly in front of the door, no. Rather, she was quite a few feet away, not letting herself get nearer than she had to. There were students chatting aimlessly in the very hallway that led to the Potions classroom, questioning as to why Snape had not began class, but Hermione was oblivious to the noise. Even with Harry and Ron beside her, talking amongst themselves about Auror-related topics and Quidditch, she blocked out the sound around her. All she could think about, all she could see in her mind was the dream.

_The dream_.

It was an awful dream. Just _awful_. And Hermione could not get it out of her mind for the life of her. It disturbed her, frightened her. It almost seemed real. _Too real_. And for this, she was worried. Not to mention deeply concerned. This was the man that they trusted. Or thought they did. And this dream had left Hermione with a very bad feeling in the back of her mind.

All of a sudden, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around to face the owner of the warm limb.

'Mione? You alright? I asked you if you were planning on going out with Ginny for a wedding dress…,' said Harry smiling, looking at his beloved.

'Um…yes, oh yes' Hermione stammered, closing her eyes and opening them. 'We…we are planning on going next weekend…Ginny and I…oh and probably your Mum too,' she said looking and nodding at Ron.

After a second of silence, the red-headed boy spoke. 'I wonder what _we _should wear for the wedding,' asked Ron looking at Harry. Hermione turned towards him to reply.

'A baby blue suit, Ronald. Plenty of ruffles. Something more or less along the lines of what you had worn to the Ball in our 4th year,' she said to Ron, a serious look on her face.

A few seconds of silence passed.

Hermione was first to crack a smile. She couldn't hold it in any longer, and before you knew it, she and Harry began laughing. Hard. What made Hermione laugh was the look upon Ron's face. A look that displayed shear terror.

Hermione began to laugh harder and harder. Just remembering his dreadful outfit at the Yule Ball made her double over in laughter, as tears formed in her eyes. And it felt good to laugh. Very good indeed.

'I'm…I'm sorry Ron…it…it was just…just _so _funny,' she said, still smiling, wiping her right eye with the back of her hand.

Ron smiled. 'Yea…bet you had a good laugh now, didn't ya?' he said to her, chuckling a bit. 'That outfit was down right awful…and it _reeked_ of moth balls,' he said, remembering the garb.

Hermione opened her mouth to reply, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw the door to the Potions classroom open. Severus Snape took one step outside of the doorway, looked at the students, and without a single word or gesture, every student waiting in that hallway made their way quickly into the classroom.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione were amongst the last to enter the room. Hermione walked past the Potions Professor, and immediately felt a chill up her spine. Oddly enough, she also, felt a warm hand on the lower of her back.

_Harry._

His presence was welcomed. Very welcomed. Just feeling him, knowing he was there, brought an instant comfort to her. She smiled to herself and sighed.

The Trio took their seats in the back of the classroom.

Severus closed the door, and stood at the back of the classroom. He slowly started walking down one of the aisles, looking at his students as he crept towards the front of the room in silence. Hermione made sure she did not look into the eyes of the Potion Master. She wasn't in the mood to battle someone trying to read her thoughts.

Hermione found the classroom to be quite warm this morning. And a bit uncomfortable. She rolled up one of her sleeves, and began digging in her book sack for her text book as Severus began to speak.

'I have been informed by the other Professors that you appear to be exhibiting signs of …_anxiety_ due to your upcoming N.E.W.T.S.,' he sneered, pausing to look at a stray sliver of parchment next to Draco Malfoy's desk. 'Due to their overwhelming response, I have been informed by the Headmistress that it would be…an _asset_ to you _and_ the other Professors if we were to brew a batch of Dreamless Sleep Potion. When the Potion is complete, you may take it with you. I assume that asking you to brew a mildly complex potion will not yield in any…_mishaps_?' he added quietly, looking straight into the face of Ron Weasley.

The Potions Master waved his left hand, and a list of ingredients appeared on the slate board next to his desk.

'The directions are in your text. I gather that all of you know how to _read_…' he added, a scowl upon his face.

And without further notice, the Potions Master exited the classroom through a door by the front of the room that led to his private office. Just like that, he was gone. He had shown up late for class, gave them an assignment, and…_left_.

'Well, that was weird…' said Ron, still looking at the door at the front of the classroom.

'Yeah,' said Harry. 'I…I don't think he looked well today. What do you think 'Mione?' said Harry, a quizzical look on his face.

Hermione, who was glad to not have to face the Potions Master, looked up at Harry. 'I don't know…he looked a little paler than usual…but it's no matter – let's…let's work on the potion,' she said to Harry and Ron, and she began to get up from her seat. 'Aren't any of you hot in here?' she asked, as she took off her sweater to reveal her white button down shirt. As she turned away from the boys, Ron, who was in fact still seated, turned towards Harry.

'She alright, mate? Looks a bit peaky if you ask me…' he nooded in Hermione's direction. Her back was to them, for she had already begun gathering ingredients for the potion.

'Yeah, I mean she's doing alright so far,' Harry whispered to Ron, gazing at Hermione. 'No problems with the baby…maybe it's stress,' he said, looking at Ron and shrugging his shoulders.

Many of the students had stood and began gathering various ingredients. Cauldrons, flasks, and other ingredients were being passed amongst the students.

A Hufflepuff by the name of Agnes Spewley had gathered two medium size fragile flasks and a small jar of red poppies from one of the shelves in the potions classroom. She turned to follow Hermione, who had also gotten a cauldron and a jar of rosewater.

The only problem was, that Agnes failed to see the foot that shot out in front of her. A foot, that as one would have it, belonged to one Draco Malfoy.

As if in slow motion, Agnes yelped and crashed head-on into the back of Hermione. Hermione winced, and likewise dropped her cauldron, and her water that was to be used for the potion. Hermione reached onto a table beside her for support, and ended up knocking Crabbe's cauldron to the stone floor, along with a stirring spoon and a plate of some un-identified yellow plant that resembled straw. Everyone immediately turned to look at the origin of chaos.

All of a sudden, the Potions Master flew out of his chambers to see what all the fuss was about. A look of hatred and scorn was masked upon his face, as he looked at the perceived parties involved in the unfortunate event.

Hermione, wincing and doubled over in pain, and without a word, took her right hand and reached around to her back. She felt something sharp, and…something warm. She brought back her hand and looked at it.

Her hand was covered in a deep crimson color.

With her left hand used to stabilize herself on the desk in beside her. She picked up her head, her face grimacing with pain, and looked at Severus Snape square in the eye. She raised her right hand to him, the hand covered in blood.

She lowered her hand, put her head down and began to breathe deep breaths.

'_No_…' was all the Potions Master said, his voice barely audible to the class. It was just like the dream he had that morning. So similar, so _real_…

Harry saw her, and walked swiftly over to her side. She felt the blood begin to trickle down her back.

'Mione…_look at me_…' he said to her, cupping her head in his hand, while the other arm snaked around her for support. She looked at him, but did not reply.

'Come on,' he said quietly to her, and walked past the Potions Master, through the door to his private chambers, and walked right up to the fireplace. Harry had flooed before from those very Chambers, once when he had to attend an Order meeting. He had just about finished serving detention with Snape, when Lupin's head appeared out of the fireplace, reminding them of the meeting.

Though this was no meeting, Harry thought it was just as good – and as quick as a way for Hermione to get much needed medical attention. Grabbing a handful of floo powder that he recognized immediately, Harry dragged Hermione into the fireplace.

'_Hospital Wing_,' he yelled, and taking one last look at the Potions Master through the open door, with a green flash and a puff of smoke, they were gone.

Normally, Severus Snape would have absolutely prohibited the pair from entering into his chambers. Since the current circumstances called for what one would deem as a _medical emergency_, especially given Hermione's current state, he did not stop them. Not at all. In fact, he was at a loss for words.

Severus watched the pair disappear. He looked back at his students. Ronald Weasley had already gathered up most of his belongings and ran out of the classroom door, clearly headed to the hospital wing. Severus did nothing to stop him.

Before Severus asked what had occurred, before he yelled and demanded any form of explanation, he scanned the faces before him.

All were in mild states of shock. All except for one face.

That one person had slouched down in his set, arms crossed, legs extended; a smug look – a look of accomplishment and pride on his sallow face.

…And that face, belonged to Draco Malfoy.


	20. Chapter 20

After scanning the crowd silently, pausing to focus on the face of Draco Malfoy, and continuing to gaze at the glass and other materials that were strewn upon the stone floor, he uttered a single word in the most deadly of tones.

'Dismissed.'

He did not have to tell the students twice. Everyone scurried like mad to gather their belongings and tore out of the classroom in record speed.

Everyone except for Draco Malfoy.

Draco had taken his time gathering his belongings, pausing to pluck a stray piece of dust from his potions text, smiling smugly to himself the entire time. As luck would have it, he was the last to leave. With his back turned, strutting towards the exit door of the classroom, Severus Snape addressed the Slytherin boy.

'What in _God's name_ do you think you are doing?' he asked in a low tone, the fury unmistakable in his voice.

Draco paused in his tracks. Chuckling to himself, he turned around.

'Merely having some...f_un_, Professor. That Mudblood really needs to know when to lighten up. I dare say that her offspring will have a devil of a time with no built-in sense of humor,' he added, a grin spread clear across his face.

Severus walked slowly towards him.

'Do _not_ ruin the plan, Draco. If you do, all of this will have been for naught. All of it. The Dark Lord needs her...intact. Stable,' he added, still keeping eye contact with the boy.

Severus then turned his back on the young Slytherin and began to walk slowly towards his desk, picking up a stray poppy flower on one of the desks before him. While his back still turned toward Draco, he spoke quietly.

'She is dangerous, Draco. Powerful. It would be wise for you to be careful. She is _unpredictable_ these days...one doesn't know just how much she is capable of...' he added, stroking the petals of the red colored poppy ever so delicately.

The smile was wiped from Draco's face immediately and a scowl was put in its place.

'_Dangerous_? She's just a stupid Mudblood who will serve her purpose...you can't possibly mean-' and before Draco could finish, Severus spun around on his heels to look at the boy.

'She is powerful, Draco. Do not underestimate her. The Dark Lord has sensed that she has calmed a bit, but provoking her...Draco, I _would _be careful if I were you,' he stated looking down at the Slytherin with a solemn look of upon his face.

Draco thought for a moment, eyes scanning the floor. All of a sudden, he smiled. A very dry smile.

'Yes, but Professor - the plan _is _working, isn't it? That filthy Mudblood won't stand a chance-'

But before Draco could finish, a sound from the back of the classroom had startled them both. The figured that had entered the room coughed and began to stutter at the sight of two pairs of eyes glaring back at him.

'I...um...I uh just...just forgot my quill that's all...sorry to disturb,' he added, backing out of the Potions Classroom slowly. Once out of the classroom, he bolted like mad up the moving staircases all the way to the hospital wing. Out of breath and sweating slightly, the figure passed Madame Pomfrey who was exiting the hospital wing to speak to the Headmistress waiting outside of the Infirmary. Both women nodded silently to the boy, as he entered the hospital wing.

He stopped right in front of Hermione's cot where she lay on her left side, Harry seated directly in front of her stroking her hand.

Harry's eyes snapped up to look at the visitor. His eyes quickly narrowed at the sight of him, and he immediately knew that look that he saw before him.

'What's wrong, Ron?' Harry asked, face full of worry.

'I'm starting to think that Snape may have been the wrong choice for secret keeper,' Ron said quietly, looking at both Harry and Hermione.

'You will _not_ believe what I just heard,' and the redhead promptly scooted a chair over to where Harry sat, and began to tell them both exactly what he had just heard.


	21. Chapter 21

Two conversations were going on simultaneously in the moments that proceeded the Gryffindor's swift exit from the Potion's classroom.

Flights upon flights above the Potions classroom, Ronald Weasley was in a heated discussion with Harry and Hermione, explaining to them what he had heard and seen, and likewise what he thought about the entire situation.

And deep down in the dungeons, a young Slytherin was fuming.

'Do you think? Do you think Weasley heard? This...this could be bad,' he added, beginning to pace in between rows of desks. 'I mean...Weasley isn't that bright to begin with, _that's _for sure...' he added, running a hand through his silvery blond hair.

'Relax, Draco. It is unlikely that he heard much of anything. If his story telling skills are as adequate as his potion skills, you and I have _nothing _to worry about.' Severus walked towards the door, and opened it.

'Your Professors will not look too kindly upon you being late to class. You are, I presume, already _lacking_ in their graces...' he added quietly, looking at Draco.

The younger Slytherin nodded, and made his way to the door. He paused and turned towards the classroom after passing through the doorway.

He smiled a sly, toothless smile as he looked up at the Potions Master.

'It is only _fun, _Professor...I would do nothing to harm the Dark Lord's most prized possession,' he added.

'If I were you,' Snape warned, 'I would lay off of…the _fun,_' he replied, and he closed the door to the Potions Classroom with a dull bang.

Severus stood there silently with his back towards the old, wooden classroom door.

He breathed in deeply and exhaled. Looking at the mess on the floor to his far right, he muttered a cleansing spell and the contents on the floor placed themselves into a large aluminum pail that sat in the far corner of the room. Shards of glass, a cauldron or two, and some stray ingredients floated into the large container.

The Potions Master walked past the rows of desk towards his private chambers adjacent to the Potions classroom. He opened the door, and closed it quietly behind him. He took a brief moment to scan the room, and his eyes soon landed on a familiar object.

He approached one of his bookshelves that lined the main room. Scanning the books on the shelves, his eyes came to rest on a photograph in a silver frame that was beginning to tarnish ever so slightly. The frame was delicate. Thin around the edges, with a woven-like design. It was a gift from Dumbledore. A gift that Severus had come to treasure most, amongst all his other belongings.

It was a picture of the Order of the Phoenix. The _new_ Order of the Phoenix.

There he was, placed amongst those that he once fought against. There stood some of his colleagues from Hogwarts, others were Aurors...and in the front row sat Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Hermione, placed between the boys, was smiling proudly. Harry turned his head to look at her, and then looked straight ahead, a toothless grin on his face, adjusting his glasses. The Weasley boy paused to scratch his elbow, and also looked up with a sideways grin.

Severus regarded the picture for a moment, before taking hold of the picture frame. He disassembled it, and removed a photograph of equal size and shape from behind the newest photo.

What he now held in his hand, was another picture of the Order of the Phoenix. The _first _Order of the Phoenix.

His eyes immediately settled on a woman in the front row. A woman with hair the color of sunset, her soft features and brilliant eyes sparkling from the photograph. Severus felt his eyes prickle with tears. It was painful to stare at her. For he still loved her – even after all these years.

He quickly placed the older photograph behind the newer one, and took the tarnished frame with him as he slowly sat down at his desk that sat across the room from the bookshelf. Placing the picture frame in front of him, he took one last look at the beautiful young Gryffindor who sat between the boys.

Severus sighed and put his head in his hands. He whispered to himself, as the Trio in front of him continued to smile and wave, oblivious to all the pain and suffering that was to come.

_What if I cannot protect them..._

Above the dungeons, there was another person sitting in a rickety oak chair, who was also bent over, placing his head in his hands, wondering how on Earth he could protect the woman who he had come to care for, to love. The mother of his child.

Harry Potter was at a loss for words. A complete loss.

He had heard Ron out, listened to what he had to say, hear him describe what he had seen. But Harry...Harry was quite unsure what Ron's revelation had meant. It did not sound promising, _that _was certain.

The Mediwitch had floated in and out of the wing, as did the Headmistress. She checked on Hermione, making sure that she was as comfortable as she could be. Likewise, the Headmistress excused her from classes for the day, and for that, Hermione was thankful.

Amongst listening to Ron and Harry converse, Hermione had felt her eyes begin to droop, and soon the boys had found her to drift off to sleep. She was still being kept in the hospital wing for observation. She and the baby were fine, just fine. But Madame Pomfrey had believed that it was in Hermione's best interest to remain in bed just for a while longer under her supervision.

After Ron had tried his darndest to convince both Harry and Hermione that Snape was up to no good, he had left to grab some lunch, and left Harry and Hermione alone in the Hospital Wing.

Moments after Ron had left, Hermione stirred, woke up, and looked up at Harry.

'Harry?' she asked, voice full of sleep, looking up at her husband-to-be.

'Mione?' he asked, looking down at her, continuing to stroke her hand, and her arm.

'What should we do?...What should we do now...?' she asked him, her voice pleading for an answer. Any answer.

Harry looked down at the ground, and then looked at Hermione's hand. The engagement ring was so beautiful, so simple, so elegant. It completed her perfectly.

Harry's eyes focused on Hermione's, and he spoke softly to her.

_'We wait.' _

He said nothing more on the subject for a few moments, and Hermione did not probe any further. Each of them, but especially Harry, had thoughts swarming in their heads. Was Snape actually on their side? Harry had to admit that he had his doubts, but he clearly remembered one thing, and one thing only in his mind.

Dumbledore had _trusted _Snape. And that was as good a reason as any, for Harry.

As much as he despised the Potions Master, as much as he _loathed_ him for various reasons...he had come to believe that Snape was in fact acting upon the greater good. He wouldn't let them down. Not now..._Especially_ not now...

Hary spoke quietly to her.

'Let's not hurry to conclusions, Mione. He gave us his word - and maybe we should go with that for now...' he said, looking into her beautiful brown eyes that were now half closed.

She smiled up at him.

'Harry...if I didn't have you...I would be _lost_. I truly would be. I cannot_ wait _until June...' she said, yawning and wincing a bit. Her back, although healed, was still rather sore.

'Mione, I love you so much. You are...you are my _everything_,' he said, his voice trailing off. Hermione was growing sleepy once again. The late morning, early afternoon sunshine was peering through the glass windows of the hospital wing, and it was so comforting. So inviting.

Harry looked at the beautiful woman before him. He got up, and strode towards the window to take a peak outside.

'Harry?' he heard her call, the sleepiness unmistakable in her voice.

'Yes Mione?' he answered turning to look at her.

'Do you know what happened this morning?' she asked, her voice hoarse.

Harry turned to look back through the window, noticing a lone thestral in the distance, soaring gracefully amongst the clouds.

'No, Mione,' he said, back still turned away from her.

But in fact, Harry _did_ know what had happened in the Potions classroom that morning. He knew that Draco had tripped Agnes. He had seen it with his own two eyes. And he did not want Hermione to know, to get upset. Well, not just _yet _at least. He figured he would let her sleep, let her rest. He would tell her later.

Harry walked over to his beloved once again. The dreamless sleep potion was working wonderfully, and Hermione was in a deep sleep. He sat down on the bed beside her. All of a sudden, he felt something. Felt something move, just ever so _slightly_. Though her abdomen was still sheltered by the concealment charm, Harry put his hand over her stomach, and for the first time, felt his son move.

It was _incredible_, to say the least.

Harry's eyes welled with tears, and he smiled to himself. He kept his hand on her abdomen for a few moments, rubbing her stomach and talking softly and tenderly to their child that lay within. After a few minutes, he removed his hand. He bent over to give Hermione a kiss on her forehead, and he left the hospital wing.

Moments later, a tall figure entered the hospital wing, accompanied by Madame Pomfrey. The two stopped a few feet away from the sleeping Gryffindor.

'How is she?' the figure asked, staring at her sleeping form.

'Better. On the mend, that is certain,' confirmed the Mediwitch.

'And the child?' inquired the man.

'_Perfect_,' the Mediwitch softly replied, a warm smile upon her face.

The man sighed inwardly. He slowly walked over to the bedside that stood beside the sleeping mother and placed a blue bottle and slip of parchment on the table next to her cot. He paused to look down at her sleeping figure, clearly oblivious to the world around her.

'Tell her to drink that when she wakes,' the man stated softly, still looking at the girl.

The Mediwitch nodded in agreement.

The man began to walk towards the door, lost amongst his thoughts, barely hearing Madame Pomfrey call out to him in a whisper:

_'Thank you, Severus_.'


	22. Chapter 22

Sleep is a very powerful tool.

It rejuvenates us. It allows our bodies to repair, and sometimes sleep even leads us to places that we have never been before. Or places that we never want to return to.

As Hermione began getting sleepy earlier in the day, as she lay in the hospital wing, she had prayed that there would be no bad dreams, no frightening nightmares. And in fact, as the beautiful young girl slept soundly in the hospital wing, there were no dreams. No nightmares. Just blissful, uninterrupted sleep.

Hours upon hours had passed. Gradually, Hermione had begun to stir. She stretched a bit, and slowly opened her eyes.

The once bright blue morning sky had turned to a mixture of light blue, dark yellow, and rust color. She had guessed it was around supper time, or thereafter. To confirm her findings, she heard the clock in the courtyard chime. It was in fact, seven o'clock.

_How long had she been sleeping_, she thought to herself. She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand, and shifted in bed. Her back hurt, but not half as much as it did before. Actually, it was quite a bit better, to Hermione's relief. She reached around to her back and felt a small bandage around the site where the glass had penetrated her skin.

Hermione sat up slowly, and swung her legs off of the cot. Letting her legs and feet dangle on the floor, she took a look at her surroundings.

The hospital wing was deserted, quite empty to say the least. She looked at her cot, the ivory colored blanket and pure white sheets. Madame Pomfrey had put Hermione in a type of hospital gown, a gown that had a tie at the back of it. Hermione had assumed this was to expose her back for treatment of the wound. She next glanced at the floor beneath her, and then raised her eyes to look at the table that was positioned next to her bed.

There was a bottle. A blue bottle. Simple and plain. It was clearly filled with some type of liquid. She grasped the bottle in her hands, and ever so carefully, extracted the cork. She slowly brought the bottle closer to her nose, and decided to take a quick sniff.

She closed her eyes and smiled.

It was a familiar potion, one that she had definitely drank before. It smelled heavenly, and it brought a warm smile to Hermione's lips. Beside the bottle was a piece of paper, folded over once. Hermione, ever the curious, reached for the paper, wincing a bit in pain due to the stretch. She took hold of the parchment and read the note:

_'I am most certain that you would have brewed a near flawless potion this morning. Be that as it may, I have included another batch of Dreamless Sleep potion in the blue bottle you see before you, should you need it. You and Potter are expected in the dungeons tomorrow evening, promptly at eight thirty. Do not be late. There is much to discuss.'_

There was no signature on the note. The penmanship was unmistakable, and Hermione recognized it at once to be the writing of her Potions Professor. She smiled to herself. A simple act of kindness, she thought. _Kindness_? It wasn't in his nature, was it? Perhaps there was another…_motive_ behind it all. Hermione shook her head. She reminded herself to stop reading too much into things, and scolded herself for letting her thoughts get the best of her. She took the note and bottle for what it was worth.

As if on cue, she heard the door to the infirmary open, and two distinct voices echoed softly throughout the hospital wing. She turned around and grinned.

There stood her two best friends, both smiling, quite glad and a tad bit relieved to see her awake.

Ron walked over to Hermione, and gave her a giant hug and kiss on the forehead.

'Hey there Mione...or should I say _sleeping beauty_?' he joked as she chuckled.

Harry was next to greet her. He bent down to give her a kiss on the lips, a kiss that was very much welcomed and in Hermione's opinion, was_ much_ too short…

'Hello love. How are you feeling?' he asked.

'Actually...I'm...I'm pretty good! Little pain here and there, but otherwise good as gold,' she said, smiling up at the boys who stood in front of her.

'Well,' said Ron, now taking note of what he was holding in his arms, '...we thought that since it was such a lovely evening and you_ need_ fresh air, we would bring you a change of clothes that Ginny picked out-' and Harry interjected '-and Mione, we also brought you a sandwich and some fruit from dinner. You need to eat you know,' said Harry, looking pseudo-sternly at her.

'Harry, you sound just like Ginny. Honestly, she gave me the same lecture just this morning!' Hermione said, grinning from ear to ear.

Ron handed Hermione her clothes, which were folded quite neatly. She looked at the pile for a moment, and then looked up at the boys.

'Get changed,' Ron said. 'We'll wait outside,' he called, as Ron and Harry both made their way out through the door of the hospital wing.

Within moments, Hermione stepped out of the hospital wing. Ginny had done a good job, and Hermione was thankful for her superb fashion skills.

With her gray sneakers, a pair of jeans that Mrs. Weasley had magically altered to accommodate her growing belly, a pink short sleeve shirt and a white sweat shirt complete with hood, Hermione stepped out of the wing and stood in front of the boys. She zipped up the sweatshirt, after all, the weather outside was nice but was still just a tad chilly.

She reached into one of the pockets of the sweatshirt, and pulled out a black band that she used to place her hair in a ponytail. She swept up her hair with ease and she had to admit that it felt good to get her hair off of her neck.

'Wow, Mione. You clean up well,' Ron joked. She punched him lightly on the arm.

'Yeah, love. That hospital gown was sexy in its own little way, but this...this is _much better,_' Harry said with a chuckle and a grin.

Hermione looked at him, and got on her tippy toes to give Harry a quick peck.

'Come on,' she said, hooking arms with the boys. 'I'm starved! Where do you want to go? Courtyard?' asked Hermione. The 7th years were allowed to travel amongst the grounds in the evenings, although there was a specific perimeter that clearly defined where they could and could not go.

The Trio, arm in arm, walked slowly down the steps, talking, chatting, and laughing amongst themselves. They reached the final landing, when at the bottom of the steps, they saw three figures approaching their way. The only three figures who could _possibly _ruin their evening.

At the bottom of the steps stood Crabbe, Goyle, and Malfoy. And they were looking for trouble.

Draco began laughing, a dry and sarcastic laugh. A wicked grin plastered upon his sallow face.

_'Well well, well_…if it isn't the Mudblood, the Weasel, and the Boy who _shouldn't_ have lived…' shouted Malfoy, as he and his goons stood at the bottom of the steps, blocking their path.

Harry whispered to Hermione.

_'Come on,_' he said, nudging her arm forward.

The three made their way down the marble staircase in silence. Harry and Ron shoved their way past Crabbe and Goyle, and Hermione was left to trail behind.

All of a sudden, she felt Draco tug her hair. Her neck snapped back, and she stopped in her tracks. He bent down slightly to whisper in her ear.

'Have a nice_ trip_ this morning..._Mudblood_?' he whispered in her ear, the venom in his voice unmistakable. He let go of her hair and shoved her forward. She stopped.

All of a sudden, she turned around, and grabbed her wand out of her back pocket. Pointing it, shoving it directly into his throat, addressed him - the fury unmistakable in her eyes.

'_You_,' she said quietly, deadly. Her eyes narrowing, feeling her blood pressure rise.

'You!' she yelled. 'It was you..._wasn't it_?! You miserable _bastard_! I swear Draco...one day, you will be sorry...you will _pay_!' Hermione yelled through gritted teeth, as she felt the anger rise up in her.

Draco was dumbfounded. The look on her face, in her eyes, was frightening to say the least.

Snape was right. She was dangerous.

Then all of a sudden, Hermione snapped out of her tirade. What made her shift her emotions was located deep within. Something that had gotten her attention.

_The baby_. She felt the baby _move._

Before she had a chance to lower her wand, a hand snaked swiftly around her wrist, the same wrist that was outstretched, holding her wand in perfect position in the side of Draco's feeble neck.

'You're coming with me,' stated the homeless-looking figure with yellowing misaligned teeth. Catching students, catching _misbehaving_ students, was his absolute specialty.

It was Filch. _And she was caught_.


	23. Chapter 23

Filch's grip tightened on Hermione's petite wrist. She knew that this is something he lived for – getting students in trouble, watching as they were given detentions. He just about reveled in anything that made Hogwarts students miserable.

'Causing trouble in the open, _eh Granger_? Well, we'll just see about this!' he said with a sneer, and a bit of excitement in his voice.

You two,' he said, looking down and squinting at Harry and Ron, '-and you as well,' he said, looking at Draco, '-come with me…I do believe there will be some detentions to give out tonight, eh?' he said, flashing a smile full of yellow enamel and missing teeth.

Draco began to argue with Filch, but he would have none of it. It was futile to resist – Filch was in his element, and once you were caught…_you were caught_. The Trio, along with Draco Malfoy, walked along with Filch towards the dungeons. Argus Filch loved getting students into trouble. It did not matter who the student was - a detention or punishment made Filch fulfilled, in a morbid sort of way.

The four students soon arrived at the shabby-looking and mildly frightening door to the Potions classroom. The lighting was scarce, and Hermione thought that the hallway looked particularly creepy in the dim shadows. Filch pushed forward to bang on the door with the back of his fist, an old, rusty unlit lantern swinging in the other hand.

Within moments, they heard someone bellow the word, _'Enter._'

They walked in to find the Potions Master sitting at his desk. Papers were strewn about the desk in a somewhat neat fashion. There were two quills upon the desk, and a third that the Potions Master currently held in his right hand. Towards the front edge of his desk sat three bottles, two of a rather small size, one a bit larger. All were empty, clear of their contents. Seeing them reminded Hermione of the bottle she had received earlier. She made a mental note to thank Snape for his kind gesture.

'Professor Snape,' Filch drawled as he approached the older man, acknowledging the Professor behind the desk. 'I caught t_hese_ four causing trouble out by the Great Hall.' He paused to look at Hermione. _'Particularly this one_,' he said nodding towards Hermione. Hermione gave him a sneer that was truly priceless.

'How…_unfortunate_,' said Snape not even bothering to look up from his work, obviously annoyed that the students and Caretaker were interrupting. He continued writing for a few seconds, and finally looked up at the four students standing before him. Draco Malfoy was on the far left, mouthing something inappropriate and degrading to Ronald Weasley. Hermione stood next to Ron, glaring at Filch. Harry stood to the far right, next to Hermione, biting the inside of his cheek. Why Harry had a sandwich and a pear in his hands, Severus was not certain.

The students stood quietly in front of Snape, awaiting their punishment. Filch's eyes shifted back from student to student. He smiled an evil grin, and all of a sudden turned around. They heard a shuffling of feet on the stone floor, and the door slam behind them, signaling that Filch had left them alone with the Potions Master.

After a few moments of silence, the Potions Master carefully put his quill down and sat back in his seat, crossing his arms.

'Mister Malfoy,' he said, looking up at the blond haired boy, '-_you may leave_.' Severus put his head down, picked up his quill, and continued marking papers.

'But Sir-' Harry interjected, looking at the Potions Master, and then turning towards Draco, who had a smug look upon his face.

_'Quiet Potter_...I did not say that you may speak,' said Severus in a deadly tone, continuing to scribble on a piece of parchment.

'But Sir! He…he started the whole-' Harry interjected, pointing at the now smiling Slytherin boy.

Without even bothering to look up, Snape spoke.

'_5 points from Gryffindor_…I thought Miss Granger was the only one who couldn't keep her mouth shut…I daresay I was…_mistaken_…' he said, his voice trailing off.

Draco put his hands in his pockets. He turned with a grin and began walking. The Trio turned around as well to face the blond haired boy as he strutted towards the exit. Harry glared at Draco. Hermione sneered at him. Ronald gave Draco the finger, which in fact made the Slytherin chuckle.

_'See you later guys_,' waved Draco mockingly, exiting backward towards the entrance to the classroom. He then narrowed his eyes and spoke to Hermione.

'Til then..._Mudblood_,' he said, in the most hateful of tones.

Hermione turned around in a flash and grabbed an empty flask that sat on the edge of the Professor's desk. She turned and hurled it with all her might at the Slytherin boy, who ducked and closed the door just in time to avoid getting plummeted with a face full of glass. The flask hit the door straight on, and crumbled to pieces. The impact echoed about the room, leaving Harry and Ron with wide eyes and open mouths, staring at the woman who stood between them.

Hermione stood there silently and stared at the door, breathing somewhat heavily. Half of her didn't believe what she had just done. And as for the other half…she felt rather empowered…and justified. It was worth a detention. Worth losing fifty points for all she cared. Next time, she thought, Draco would not be as lucky…._not lucky at all_…

And while still facing the shabby looking door of the Potions classroom, staring at all of the glass that lie on the floor, she heard a deep voice behind her utter a single phrase:

'_Nice aim, Granger.'_


	24. Chapter 24

Hermione turned slowly and consciously to face the owner of the voice.

The Potions Master was sitting in his seat, arms folded neatly on his chest, looking at her and at the faces of the boys who stood amongst her, gaping mouths and all. Severus was, in fact, _amused_ by the entire situation. _Disappointed_ that Hermione had obviously not learned to control her temper, but amused none-the-less. Truth be told, if Draco had not high-tailed out of the classroom, he might have been guaranteed a massive head injury this evening.

Severus, still with arms crossed, continued to scan the sight before him. Sending Draco away was not a mistake. Not one bit.

In fact, it was _quite_ a purposeful dismissal.

Severus' note to Hermione stated that there was much to discuss. And Severus strongly believed that this information could not wait.

He knew that there was a good chance that they would not take the _'news'_ lightly. Since Potter and the girl were already present, Severus had thought it best to tell them now, tonight. Though the pair would more than likely divulge the new information to their best friend, the Potions Master had thought it best to let those _directly _involved hear the information for themselves. How he was going to get Weasley to leave the room was unknown at the present time, but Severus was clever – he was certain a way would present itself.

'Lost your temper again, Granger? How…_disappointing_…' he said to the girl that stood before him.

Hermione swallowed.

'Yes, Sir but...but it was_ better_...I mean it could have been a lot _worse_,' said Hermione softly, shuffling her feet a bit.

Severus made his way to stand, gathering up bits of parchment here and there.

He paused to look up at her.

_'You still need work_,' he said quietly to her, as he made his way with an armful of papers, beginning to set them on the table behind his desk. He carefully placed the papers in a neat, well-organized pile.

'By the way, _Mister Weasley_,' he said quietly, turning around and looking at Ron. 'It would do you best not to believe e_verything_ you hear…making assumptions in times such as these is…rather _futile_…' obviously making reference to what Ron may have overheard earlier that morning.

Ron coughed, placed his hands behind his back and nodded, all the while keeping his eyes on the ground.

Harry looked up at the Potions Master and began to speak hurriedly.

'Sir, you...you're…you're just going to let Malfoy get away with _this_? I mean, if you _saw_ what he did-' but Harry did not get a chance to finish his statement.

'I will _deal_ with Draco on my own time, Potter. That should be the _least_ of your worries,' Snape added, as he stood behind his desk.

Just then, Hermione began to sway. Ever so slightly. She placed a hand on the desk in back of her for support, closed her eyes, and put her head down a bit.

Harry, who had placed the sandwich and fruit down on a desk in back of himself moments before, stepped quickly towards her and put a hand on her arm.

'Mione? You alright?' he asked quietly, concern written on his face.

Hermione picked her head up and opened her eyes. She smiled a small smile and looked up into Harry's piercing green eyes.

'Fine…_fine_. A quick bout of dizziness, that's all,' said Hermione.

'_Well_ Mione,' Ron interjected, '-we _did_ bring you some food. Well, _actually _Harry brought you something to eat. You must be starved – have you even eaten anything all day? Blimey, the baby is going to be as skinny as a twig if you don't _eat_ something!' Ron said to Hermione, eyebrows slightly raised and a look of mild concern on his face.

Severus was about to send Ron up to the hospital wing to retrieve a potion from Madame Pomfrey for Hermione's dizziness, however, one mention about her child led Severus to focus his eyes on Hermione's slightly protruding stomach. He scowled.

'Miss Granger - since when did you _stop _the concealment charm?' he asked with an annoyed tone, looking at her abdomen.

'_What_?' she asked.

Hermione looked down towards her stomach. Sure enough, there was a tiny baby bump protruding from her abdomen. The white sweatshirt did not help; rather, it only brought attention to it more. She wondered if they had passed anyone in the hall that evening - who might have seen her. She also wondered what had happened to the charm, why it wore off.

_'Oh balls,_' she muttered, not paying any attention to the words coming out of her mouth. She began to reach around to her back pocket for her wand, when suddenly she felt her right pants pocket grow warm.

She jerked her head up, forgetting all about the concealment charm, and dug into her jeans pocket.

She withdrew a gold coin. A coin that was in fact growing warmer by the second. She glanced at the coin, and squinted to read the writing in the dim light.

It read, _'Now.'_

All of a sudden, each boy on either side also felt a growing warmth from the pieces of metal each was carrying, and reached into their pockets to retrieve their coins.

Hermione looked down at the shabby looking coin, remembering for only just a moment how they used them when they formed the D.A. After realizing that Hermione had used coins to communicate to other members of Dumbledore's Army, the Headmistress thought the idea worked quite well, and every Order of the Phoenix member carried their coin with them. Should a meeting date change or something important arise, they would be notified. Immediately. And surely, they were being alerted this very evening.

Hermione looked up at the Potions Master.

_'There was a meeting tonight_?' she asked softly, her head cocked slightly to the side as if confused by the sudden notification.

All of a sudden, Harry bent his head forward and rubbed his scar.

_It was burning. _

He inhaled sharply, and felt a massive prickling feeling in the middle of his forehead.

Severus opened his mouth to speak, but was stopped. He too felt intense pain, however, the location of his was much different. It was intense, yet _familiar_ pain. He raised the left hand sleeve of his robe, and sure enough, the dark mark was moving, ever so slowly, the snake writhing on his forearm.

_He was being summoned._

Harry whose eyes were squinting in pain, had picked his head up, but was still continuing to rub his scar.

Severus looked at the boy.

'Floo from the fireplace. 'Go!' he commanded, nodding to his private chambers.

Hermione took hold of Harry's arm and began to lead him straight to the door to Severus' private chambers, located in the front of the room. Hermione began walking a few feet towards the door, when she noticed Ron was not with them. She turned around sharply.

'Come on, Ron!' she shouted.

But Ronald Weasley was presently consumed with the gold coin in his hand. He was staring at the object, a look of confusion on his face.

'_Can't floo tonight, mates_,' he said quietly, a frown on his face as he continued to regard the coin.

Harry, turned around to face the red-headed boy. 'Why the _bloody _hell not?!' he yelled at his best friend.

With one arm snaked around Harry's, Hermione used the other arm to withdraw the coin from her pocket. She saw the word, '_Now_' glowing, and flipped the coin over.

One word, one word printed on the opposite side of the coin made her stomach flip, made her nauseous _instantly_. Besides dealing with the abominable wrath of Draco Malfoy, there was another thing in life that she absolutely loathed, absolutely could not tolerate:

_Hermione hated flying._

For you see, when the young Gryffindor flipped the coin to the other side, the only word she saw in print was the word, '_Thestrals.'_

_They were to ride on Thestrals tonight._


	25. Chapter 25

_Fear._

It grips us, hunts us, prevents us from accomplishing what we set out to achieve. Fear is ruthless, relentless, paralyzing. How you manage the fear, how you face the fear, is dependent upon the individual. Facing one's fears, or so it is called, is not simple, not by the smallest measure. Facing fear takes strength, takes courage…

…And Hermione Granger thanked her lucky stars on this very evening that these were two qualities that she possessed deep down inside of her. The girl was, after all, a Gryffindor. Strength and courage were her allies. She hated flying, hated it with a passion, but she had summoned enough guts to do what had to be done.

Hermione peered down at the golden coin she was currently gripping in her sweaty hand.

_Thestrals._

Just then, one of the boys spoke, drawing Hermione out of her thoughts.

'Mione-' shouted Harry, looking at her with a serious face, '-come on, let's go!' he shouted from the back of the classroom, where he and Ron already stood.

Hermione's head shot up. She took one last glance at the Potions Master, who was currently glued in place, the sleeve of his left arm rolled up to reveal his hideous greenish-black mark. Hermione turned towards the boys, pausing to snatch the bosc pear Harry had left sitting idly on a nearby desk, and walked swiftly towards them. The boys let Hermione pass, and followed her one by one out the door. Just before closing the door, Harry turned to look at Severus. Harry paused for a moment, opened his mouth to speak, but closed it just as soon. Without a word, he was gone, and the Potions Master was alone in the room.

Severus Snape headed quickly towards his private chambers, opened the door, and entered into his bedroom. Though the room was completely darkened, he knew just where to obtain what he needed this night. From a medium-sized mahogany chest located in the corner of his room, he opened it and withdrew his Death Eater mask.

He took one look at it, regarding it for a moment.

Every time, every _single_ damn time he looked at that mask, it disgusted him to no end. Regardless of the fact, Severus sighed inwardly, and tried to block his feelings and emotions.

_This was going to be a long night, _Severus thought to himself.

Severus grabbed his ebony cloak, and tucked his mask under his garb. With his head in the fireplace, he made contact with Headquarters, and clued them in to the current situation. He then headed out of the classroom, out of the school, and eventually made his way to the outside of the school gates. Turning to face the old, rusty gates of Hogwarts Castle, he raised the sleeve of his left forearm, took out his wand and attempted to touched the tip of it to the ugly marking on his forearm.

Before he did, he noticed two thestrals soaring gracefully above him. He paused for a moment, looked at the giant graceful creatures taking flight with their precious passengers. He looked down at his mark, the snake continuing to writhe. With a scowl, he touched the snake on his arm with the tip of his wand, and was gone.

Severus Snape disappeared into the night air.

Meanwhile, Harry, Ron, and Hermione, were also trying to disappear into the night.

The three students had made their way into the edge of the Forbidden Forest, and Harry was thankful to spot a group of thestrals rather quickly. There were three of them to be exact, all of adult size, Harry presumed.

Harry quickly made his way over to one of the thestrals with Ron.

Hermione, on the other hand, stood as still as a statue, not moving a single inch.

She looked at the giant, hideous beasts. Their hollowed-out eyes, rough exterior and odd shape made Hermione cringe. Not to mention the fact that in a few brief seconds she'd be feet upon feet in the air riding upon one of these creatures.

What made Hermione stop and stare at the creatures was quite simple, really.

_You see, this was the first time that Hermione had ever seen a thestral. _

Many months ago, Hermione had witnessed something that no child should ever, _ever _have to see.

_She had watched her parents die. _

A car crash, it was. A rainy night proved to be the end to their short lives here on earth. They had dropped their little girl off at a book shop in town that evening. Hermione had wanted to purchase a new copy of _Hamlet._ Her old one had torn and was purchased used to begin with, and Hermione thought that she deserved a brand new edition that had that new-book smell that she oh so desperately loved.

Before dropping her off, her Father had turned around, telling Hermione where to meet them after her purchase. Her parents were going a few blocks away to make dinner reservations for that evening, and Hermione was to meet them there as soon as she was finished. Hermione hopped out of the vehicle, and closed the door behind her. The car drove off, and her parents were on their way.

Hermione believed that it was the sound that caught her first, rather than the scene.

A horrific crashing sound, the buzz of onlookers…and then _blood_.

Hermione ran a block up the road to where the mangle car stood, smoking in the rain. Hermione peered in the car window first, looking at her Father who sat motionless. His head had hit the windshield, a trickle of crimson sliding down his forehead.

Hermione looked around.

There lay her mother, next to the lamppost that they had crashed into. Hermione threw herself on the wet cement, and cradled her mother in her lap. Hermione's mother looked up at her little girl, and without word, closed her eyes.

_Hermione's mother had died in her arms._

Hermione, remembering that awful night, shook her head, as if trying to rid herself of the terrible thoughts that loomed in her brain. At the beginning of the year, she and her two best friends had arrived at Hogwarts a day ahead of schedule via broomstick, and they had not taken the thestral driven carriages that usually take the students to the school. So was it indeed, that this evening, this very _night_ to be exact, was the first night that Hermione was able to view the creatures that dwelled in the forest.

'Mione!' Harry called, drawing Hermione out of her thoughts.

She turned her head to look at Harry, and trotted over to one of the thestrals that he was standing beside.

'Mione,' said Harry, 'you and I will take this one. Ron-' he motioned, pointing to a thestral that Ron was already perched upon, '-you follow us,' said Harry. With concealment charms in place as needed, they were off, flying gracefully into the night sky.

Hermione had her eyes closed during take-off, gripping Harry's sweater so tightly she swore that it would tear at a moments notice.

What was normally around half hours ride seemed an eternity to Hermione.

At one point, Hermione had scooted so close to Harry, that the pear that sat in the pocket of her sweatshirt was starting to poke Harry in his back.

Harry smiled.

'Hey Mione,' he called, '…is that a pear in your pocked, or are you just happy-'

Hermione opened her eyes and smiled.

'_Oh, shut up Harry_,' she said with a slight chuckle.

They landed across the street from Headquarters. Since Hermione had performed a concealment charm on the three students (and the thestrals for good measure), they were not likely to be seen. Once they landed on solid ground, once Hermione had lifted the charm, wobbly legs and all, she made her way up the steps and grasped the cool metal knob of Number 12 Grimmauld Place, letting her and the boys inside.

Alas, Severus Snape had also landed on solid ground that evening. However, his destination was much, _much_ different. He looked up at the giant mansion that sat before him, trees lining the edge of the gray-stoned dwelling.

_Malfoy Manor._

Severus sighed. He walked up a single step outside of the house, grasped the silver knob on the pristine maple wood, opened the front door and silently made his way indoors.

He stepped into the foyer, and proceeded up the main staircase. He could hear someone...someone crying out lound...like an animal in terrible, _terrible_ pain. The howling was followed by a shriek of laughter, a cackle of sorts. A cackle that could only be from _one_ death eater. He despised her laugh, hated her every being, wished that she would simply _disappear_ from the face of the earth.

But unfortunately, Bellatrix Lestrange cannot be so easily disposed.

The howling continued, even worse than before.

_'Good Christ,'_ Severus thought to himself. _'What now?'_

Meanwhile, the three students entered Headquarters. Hermione took a moment to absorb the unlit hallway that led to the kitchen, the rickety steps that she had climbed so many times before, the umbrella stand that Tonks had knocked over countess times.

All of a sudden, the hairs on Hermione's arms stood up.

_Something isn't right_, she thought to herself. It was a feeling, a mere feeling that made the house feel unsettling that very evening.

'Come on,' Harry whispered to Ron and Hermione, and they quickly made their way towards the kitchen. Before they got to the door of the kitchen, Harry heard crying. Soft crying, almost a whimpering of sorts.

The three stood silently outside of the door. Harry was the first to open it, and he did so ever so quietly, ever so cautiously.

There, at the one end of the table, was Tonks. Her eyes were bloodshot, her nose red as a beet. A mound of tissues in front of her, and she was sobbing ever so gently into the palms of her hands.

Mrs. Weasley, dressed in a patchwork skirt and hunter green shirt was standing next to Tonks, rubbing her back, trying her best to comfort her with soothing words.

Hermione pushed through both boys and went right over to Tonks. She pulled up an empty chair next to her, and scooted in towards the distraught witch.

'Oh Tonks! What..._what happened_?' asked Hermione, concern and worry etched onto her face as she too rubbed Tonks' back in a mother-like sort of way.

'Oh...oh Hermione...' said Tonks, between sniffles, looking at the young Gryffindor. 'It's...it's Remus...he's...he's..._gone_...' she said, her voice trailing off. She squinted her eyes, letting more tears cascade upon her reddened cheeks as a sob escaped her lips.

'They...they came and took him...Death Eaters..._they took him_,' she sobbed, and once again put her head in her hands.

Hermione's eyes filled with tears. Her eyes scanned the crowd, and landed on the somber face of Professor McGonagle.

'It's... do...do you know…_what happened?_' stammered Hermione, as she shifted her focus from the Headmistress to the helpless form of Nymphadora Tonks.

The Headmistress looked at the young Gryffindor and closed her eyes for a moment.

'No,' she said softly, looking down at her lap. 'No trace of him. The other Aurors are doing their best to search any leads...' her voice trailed off, as she stared at her hands in her lap, a cup of once piping hot tea now sitting quite cool and untouched before her.

Tonks began to sob even harder. Her heart was breaking, piece by piece. She knew, deep in her heart, that this was bad. _Very bad_.

Severus Snape, had much the same thought.

Things were bad. _Very bad_.

He reached the top of the steps to find a dimly lit room. Upon entrance to the spacious room, he counted about eight death eaters, or so, all clad in much the same garb that the Potions Master was sporting. Severus turned his attention to the Death Eaters, all gathered in a circle of sorts. He then placed his gaze towards the direction of the smiling figure in the middle of it all.

Voldemort was in the center of the circle. And he wasn't alone.

Severus could see that there, along with the Dork Lord, was a figure in tattered clothing. It appeared to be a man, Severus thought to himself. It was the shoes that gave it away. And Severus was undeniably good at paying attention to detail. Severus crept closer towards the figures.

The man was bloodied and most likely bruised. Probably had a few broken bones in various places. Severus was straining to see in the candlelit room, but could only really make out shapes, and not distinct faces. The voices, though, were unmistakable - that was certain.

All of a sudden, Voldemort uttered: _'Crucio,'_ and the man in the middle of the floor began to writhe in pain, howling once again in agony.

Voldemort's cruel and sinister laughter echoed off of the hollow walls.

Suddenly, he turned towards the Potion Master, finally acknowledging his presence.

'Ah Severus! So good of you to join us this evening,' the Dark Lord bellowed. Severus immediately kneeled and bent his head in reverence.

'My sincere apologies for lateness, My Lord,' Snape stated in a somber tone, looking at the ground beneath him.

Voldemort laughed. 'No worries, Severus, we were just having a bit of fun! Surely, we did not want _you_ to miss all of the festivities,' he added, voice dripping with sarcasm. The Dark Lord laughed once again, and then suddenly his face turned cross. He swept towards Severus, and stood directly in front of him, mask to face.

'Actually, Severus, You are here to do me a f_avor_,' hissed the Dark Lord, stepping away from Severus, walking around his prey that lay almost motionless in the middle of the floor.

'You are here to give a _warning_. To those at the school. To those that are…_against me,_ shall we say,' a twisted grin upon his ashen lips.

'Take back this _creature_, Severus. He is a mere warning. A warning to those that cross me...a warning to those that _do not feed me information_...' added Voldemort, his slit-like eyes peering into Severus' onyx orbs beyond the mask as he spoke.

'As you wish, my Lord,' Severus said, keeping constant eye contact with Voldemort. The Dark Lord turned away from the Potions Master and continued circling around the injured being.

'Oh, and Severus?' stated the Dark Lord, pausing to kick the heap on the floor.

'Now would be a good time to tell those that..._oppose me_, what shall happen to the Granger girl and her child, should they continue to oppose me. Potter is as good as gone...but her? Ah yes, she is carrying a prize, worth far more than we could have _ever _imagined,' he hissed, the glee in his manic state unmistakable upon his wretched malformed face.

'As you wish, my Lord,' said the Potions Master. He could feel the bile rising in his throat, imagining what Voldemort would do to the girl, or the child for that matter.

Severus walked towards the heap in the middle of the circle. He quickly bent down to grasp hold of the bloodied figure, and apparated without another word. In that second, in that mere _split second_ that it took for him to grasp the figure, he recognized just who the bloodied face belonged to.

Holding a breath, Severus immediately apparated with the man to a place that both of them knew oh so well.

_Severus apparated to the back yard of Number 12 Grimmauld Place. _

In the little well-hidden yard, a tiny little space that mainly was a campground for rusted trashcans and stray cats in search of a meal, Severus peeled off his mask, threw it next to a trashcan and looked down at the man on the ground, the man that he had taken back with him.

Severus lifted him up slightly to get a better look at the figure. His eyes widened, and his brow furred at the sight in front of him. While looking at the figure, eyes holding a mixture of disbelief, hatred, and confusion, Severus spoke to the man in a whisper.

'My God Lupin - _what the hell have they done to you?'_


	26. Chapter 26

_What is it like to die?_

Does it hurt? Is it painful?

Do you remember the mere act of dying, specifics perhaps, or does it all become a distant memory, a blur of sorts?

It just so happened, that on this very evening, the Auror and Warewolf known as Remus Lupin had thoughts such as these mulling about in his head, as he gazed into the helpless dark eyes of the man trying desperately to hold him up. The Potions Master did not have to utter another word as he looked at the fading man in front of him, for the current circumstances proved clear as crystal.

Remus was dying. And on what had planned to be one of the best days of his life.

_How ironic indeed_…

Remus Lupin had awoken early that morning. Making sure not to disturb the purple-haired woman sleeping next to him, he shimmied out of bed, dressed in the darkened bedroom, and headed on to his destination of choice: Diagon Alley. There, the Auror was to pick up an object of great worth, an item so dear to his heart, an article of jewelry that he knew deep down would bring joy to the woman that held his spirit so dear.

Remus was picking up an engagement ring. And he was going to propose to Nymphadora Tonks on this very night.

As luck would have it, he was spotted by a Death Eater in disguise no less, sneaking around the marketplace in Diagon Alley, looking for anything that merely resembled trouble, or anything that could bring about a bit of…_fun_. Alas, the Auror was seen, and the Death Eater thought that she would have a bit of fun with her recently acquired prisoner. Knowing who he was, knowing that it would fit into the Dark Lord's plan, she could only imagine the praise that would come her way once she showed him the Auror.

Bellatrix Lestrange stunned Lupin just as he was rounding the corner of the jewelry shop. She apparated with him to Malfoy Manor, and the rest, we can say, is history.

And there he lay, a broken man. A broken, dying man. A perfect plan gone sour…_and at what cost?_

Severus continued to stare down at the beaten, bloodied figure of Remus Lupin. He looked like hell. That was, indeed, putting it nicely. One could only have imagined what he had just been through, and it pained Severus to relish the thought. Having your ribs kicked, feeling them snap like twigs in your chest cavity was by far not the nicest of images.

_'S...Severus..._' winced Remus Lupin, in a very hoarse and scratchy voice. 'I...I owe you one...for bringing me home…' he said, trying to smile, struggling to breathe.

The Potions Master inhaled deeply, and looked grimly at the Auror. Suddenly the back door few open. The black orbs of Severus Snape snapped up to meet a set of emerald eyes.

Harry took a look at the two in the yard. His eyes grew wide, and he felt his mouth grow dry. Without another thought, he flew down the concrete steps.

_'Holy shit_,' he muttered to no one in particular, looking down at the mess of a man that Severus was supporting.

'What..._what happened_?' he asked softly, as he crouched down to look at his former Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor. Harry scanned Remus' body, trying to comprehend the mess in front of him.

'He is a message..._from the Dark Lord_,' said Snape grimly, looking down at Lupin.

Severus' eyes narrowed, and his eyes met Harry's.

'Get Molly. Granger. Anyone. Get Poppy here as well,' demanded the Potions Professor.

Harry nodded solemnly and ran back inside. Harry was running as fast as his legs could carry him through the back hallway. On the way to getting help, he came within inches to smacking directly into a very tall person standing in the back of the kitchen.

'Sorry, Kingsley. Oh Kingsley!' Harry yelled as an afterthought, as he continued to walk past him, '-it's Lupin - he's out back with Snape!' he shouted, as he continued through the hallway. Kingsley Shacklebot's eyes grew large, and he immediately ran towards the back yard.

And since the Auror was in such close proximity to the Kitchen, everyone seated (or standing for that matter) heard the news from Harry's voice.

Remus Lupin was home.

Tonks was the first to stand up. She rushed from her seat and bolted down the hallway towards the back door, orange sweater flying in the wind behind her, boots scuffing along the wooden floor. You could hear the precise moment that she saw him. She screamed, and began sobbing immediately, anguishing sobs, sobs that shook her entire body.

Hermione ran after her, and was also outside in the yard. Severus saw the look on Tonks' face, and after hearing her gut wrenching scream, was thankful that he placed a silencing spell on the yard moments before.

Hermione's eyes followed Tonks' form. Looking at what the woman had cradled in her arms made Hermione's eyes widened, and she cupped her hands to her mouth.

'_Oh my God_…' she whispered, standing behind where Tonks crouched to help hold her beloved.

Hermione's stomach churned for a brief moment, seeing Remus in such awful state. There was blood everywhere, and it was continuing to seep out from him, ever so slowly. With her eyes, she began to observe and assess the man in front of her, trying to think of where to begin first.

Hermione Granger had planned on training as a healer when she finished Hogwarts. She had made her intentions quite clear to her head of house, and most students and teachers were thankful to have an extra set of hands on board for particularly aggressive quidditch matches. Natrually, Madame Pomfrey was eager to help Hermione in her chosen path, giving her tips and tricks, showing her the best way to wrap bandages, administer potions, and so on. As luck would have it, it was to Remus' advantage that Hermione knew a thing or two about medical triage, and the young girl rolled up the white sleeve of her sweatshirt, couched down beside Tonks, and began working.

With eyes scanning his neck and face area, she reached for his carotid artery in his neck and began checking his pulse.

It was bounding. She had better hurry.

As evidenced by the blood that surrounded those on the ground, it was clear that Remus Lupin was going into shock. There wasn't time to get him to Saint Mungos. She had to begin working on him right here, right now, or else it would be too late.

Hermione instantly began yelling orders, as her hands began moving along his dying form.

She heard Snape muttered an invisibility spell, something he had forgotten to do before. Though the yard was quite empty, there was no telling whether or not they would be spotted.

Hermione also began muttering several complex spells and incantations to help the badly injured man who lay before her. After a moment or so, the bleeding had slowed, and eventually stopped. Madame Pomfrey had arrived, and began helping Hermione. After awhile, things began to become under control. By the time Hermione had checked his wounds one final time, wrapped an appendage here and there, and mended the back of his head with a row of stitches under Madame Pomfrey's guidance, Hermione finally stood up.

She winced, placing a hand on the small of her back. Crouching all that time had not done her well, and she closed her eyes from the pain. She inhaled deeply and exhaled, closing her eyes. Opening her eyes, she brought both hands in front of her.

Her hands were covered with blood, her sweatshirt stained crimson, and her jeans were much the same.

Minerva McGonagle, who had also come outside to offer help, had softly spoken a spell which lifted Remus Lupin in the air a few feet off of the ground. The unconscious man was followed by the Headmistress, Tonks, Madame Pomfrey, and Kingsley, who all scurried behind to follow the sleeping man into the house.

The only people who were left outside were Hermione, bloodied and who still had yet to place a concealment charm on her abdomen, and Severus Snape, who was also mildly covered in blood.

Both stood silently side-by-side, breathing inaudibly as they watched the others make their way into Headquarters behind the injured man.

Severus turned his head to look at Hermione.

'Nice work Granger. A Healer in training, I presume?' he questioned, one eyebrow raised.

_'In training_ is the key word here, Professor…' she said softly, face as blank as an overcast sky, still staring at the place where Lupin was lying just moments before.

She turned her head to look at the Potions Master.

_'What did they want with him_,' she whispered, searching the Potion Master's face for answers.

Severus regarded her question for a moment, and ignored it for the time being. He waved his hand, and muttered a spell to clean up his hands and clothing, as well as the blood and extra bandages that were lying aimlessly on the gray cement.

'He, Miss Granger, was a _warning_,' said Severus icily, looking up at the darkening sky, avoiding her eyes.

She looked at him with confusion. _'A warning_?' she asked in disbelief.

Severus turned his focus on the ground below.

'The Dark Lord wants to prove that he will harm, kill, destroy anyone and anything that gets in his way. Anything...except _you_, Miss Granger. For at this particular time, you appear to be...quite _untouchable._ You are not to be harmed…at least not yet,' he added quietly, closing his eyes and opening them slowly.

She moved in front of him, damned for him to look at her, look into her eyes and tell her exactly what was going on. She could feel anger begin to swell within her, and it took all of her being not to grab him by the collar and demand answers.

'Harmed? What are you talking about? What do you know that we don't?' she boldly probed, a mixture of confusion and fury on her face.

'Miss Granger,' he said, owning up to the inevitable and looking her straight in the eye, '...there has been a prophecy. A prophecy regarding you, Potter..._and your child…_.'

Before Hermione could say anything, Harry bolted out the back door. Hermione turned around to face her beloved.

'Mione!' he shouted, rushing over to her, giving her a hug and a kiss on the forehead, ignoring the fact that she was still covered in blood.

'How...how is he?' she asked Harry, trying to hide the fear she held within.

'He's on the mend. He's conscious. Sleepy, but aware of his surroundings. He..._Mione?_' Harry asked, suddenly looking at Hermione.

Hermione refused to look at Harry. She had tears welling in her eyes. One tear had escaped her eye, and was traveling ever so slowly down her redden cheek. Harry bent his head down trying to look her in the eye.

_'Mione, what's wrong love?_' he asked her softly, trying to read her face, and then proceeding to look up at the hardened face of Severus Snape for answers. The Potions Master continued to stand with his arms crossed, staring at Harry, not uttering a single word.

Harry looked back at Hermione. He took both of his warm hands, cupping them around her face, forcing her to look at him. He looked into her eyes. She didn't look sad, Harry thought. Rather, she looked…scared, or frightened perhaps.

'Harry...oh Harry...' she whispered. 'There's...there's been a prophecy...about...about us..._all of us_...' she said, wiping another tear from her face with the back of her sleeve.

'Wh...what? Mione what are you talking about?' asked Harry, who was both suddenly concerned and angered by her words.

Severus Snape took one step forward.

'It is true Potter. Months ago, there had been a prophecy about the two of you..._and_ your child. The Dark Lord is fully informed, and he is using it to his..._advantage_,' said Severus quietly, still standing in place.

'Prophecy? But...but when did you find out? Who…who told Voldemort? Why in Gods name didn't you tell us this before!?' roared Harry, who let go of Hermione's face and began walking towards the aging Professor, the fury in his voice and hatred upon his face ever growing.

Rather than retaliating, Severus closed his eyes.

'The current circumstances have become complicated, Potter. An explanation is warranted, and shall be given once we are indoors,' he stated, looking at the Boy Who Lived.

'You…you realize that maybe you could have told us this information _before?!_ I...I can't believe this!' shouted Harry who was venting quite loudly and becoming angered.

The Potions Master stood silently, arms crossed, feet planted on the ground. He had expected him to react this way, had he ever found out.

'What the _hell_ were you waiting for, Snape?! For us...for _her_ to die? God damnit if it's about us, then we should bloody well know about it!' he yelled.

Harry turned around swiftly and made his way up the steps to enter the back door. He stopped in his tracks and turned around. He had a manic look upon his face, and with eyes wide, he opened his arms and spoke.

'I should have known! I should have known that you didn't change!' bellowed Harry, who then turned, pulled the back door open, and slammed it shut, making Hermione jump.

Hermione stood there looking at the door. Her eyes had continued to well, and the fear that had initially made her weep had morphed into sadness. She slowly crept towards the door, and she too turned around.

She looked at the Potions Master. His features appeared gaunt, and a tad sallow in the fading light. He looked tired and worn. Still standing with arms crossed, he looked at her as she turned around slowly.

'_When?_' she asked softly, looking into his black orbs.

'Since January,' he answered gravely.

They stood, feet apart, looking at each other.

'_Why?_' she whispered, her voice cracking.

Severus' face hardened. He knew the answer, had known the answer for months. With eyes still intent upon hers, he answered.

'I wanted to protect you. _All of you_.' he stated quietly, never taking his eyes off of her.

She turned and slowly walked up the cement steps. Before reaching the back door, she turned once again to face him.

'I still believe that you're on our side…_I still trust you_, ' she said in a whisper. She turned around, put the back of her hand up to muffle a sob, and she slowly opened the door to the house, leaving it slightly ajar.

Her words, the words that she spoke to him only a moment ago, made him feel an emotion that he had not felt in a very, _very_ longtime.

It broke his heart. It absolutely broke his heart to hear her speak that way, in a hopeful yet ultimately defeated tone. After this...after _all _of this, she still didn't give up. Either she was incredibly stupid, or exceptionally trusting. Severus Snape believed that it was the latter of the two that scared him the most.

The Potions Master inhaled deeply and exhaled.

He owed the two Gryffindors an explanation. That was certain. And so, he too made his way indoors, climbing the badly cracked cement steps of Number 12 Grimmauld Place, and closing the door quietly behind him.


	27. Chapter 27

Hermione Granger gradually made her way through the back door of Number 12 Grimmauld Place. Tears blinded her empty brown eyes, but yet her feet carried her to the kitchen with ease. As she raised a dry sleeve to wipe her eyes, she noticed Harry standing in the corner of the kitchen, alone in the shadows.

He appeared infuriated, worried, saddened…a plethora of emotions, Hermione guessed. With hands crossed over his chest, he made no acknowledgement towards his wife to be, but instead placed his gaze on his worn-out pair of gray trainers.

Hermione paused to look at Harry, and then proceeded to take a seat on one of the chairs by the large and awfully shabby wooden table. She could hear faint voices coming from above. Naturally, the other Order members present that evening were in fact busy with Remus Lupin, who had been near death earlier this evening. Hermione inwardly wondered how her old Defense Agains the Dark Arts Professor was fairing. She wondered silently to herself if what she had done was enough for the poor man, if he would make it through.

Hermione sat quietly in the chair, and exhaled deeply through her nose. She carefully raised both hands to her face and slowly rubbed her hands over her eyes and cheeks.

She was exhausted. Emotionally and physically exhausted.

She closed her eyes tightly, opened them, and neatly folded her hands in her lap, staring at her belly that was straining ever so slightly against her somewhat taught sweatshirt. Although she had caring friends, family though not in the _typical _sense, and a precious life growing inside of her, she couldn't help but feeling alone.

Deceived and alone.

Harry would not look at her, or even acknowledge her. Snape had hidden information from both of them. The Order was most likely still upset that she had become pregnant and had developed a relationship with Harry. A wave of depression suddenly settled over the young witch as she pondered her current state. She exhaled once again, letting her thoughts get the best of her.

Just then, the back door closed with a soft click, and Hermione slowly lifted her tired eyes to stare at the black pair of shoes that belonged to the individual who graced their presence.

Severus Snape had entered the back door of Number 12 Grimmauld Place.

He stepped along slowly, purposefully, as he walked through the small dark hallway that led to the kitchen. He was skeptical as to how the pair would react when he revealed what he knew. Severus thought to himself that Harry would automatically be on the defense. If there were to be any trouble tonight, it would be from him.

To his relief, Harry and Hermione were the only two present in the kitchen at that very moment. Severus assumed that the rest of the household members were busing themselves with Lupin upstairs. For this, he was grateful. He would only have to explain himself and his actions to the parties involved, and would not have to be subjected to the scrutiny of the other Order members. If Harry and Hermione decided to divulge his explanation of current circumstances to the members of the Order of the Phoenix, they would be doing it on their own time.

And at their own discretion.

Severus scowled at the young, tired witch. He paused to glance at the Boy Who Lived, but Severus never received an acknowledgement, not even the slightest bit of eye contact from the boy. However this of course, was not unexpected.

Severus walked slowly to the head of the table. He removed his ebony cloak, placing it ever so carefully over the chair in front of him. He folded his arms, and stared at Harry while speaking for the first time since entering the house.

'I do not apologize, nor regret failing to reveal to you...information that has been divulged to me prior to current times,' the Potions Master began. 'Be that as it may, in light of certain..._circumstances_ of this evening, you appear to have full right to know exactly what you are up against. Both of you.' he spoke, looking at the pair.

'_Full right', _Harry thought. '_Now we have a right? Did he fucking think we didn't have permission before?' _Harry quietly scoffed at these thoughts, still refusing to make eye contact with Severus.

'What...what of the prophecy?' asked Hermione quietly, looking at the dust filled wooden floor, her voice cracking ever so slightly.

The Potions Master took a breath and began to slowly pace, addressing no one in particular.

'The Dark Lord, once made aware of Miss Granger's..._condition_, took immediate action to devise a plan. A plan that he had hoped would lead Potter to the Dark Lord single handed.'

The Potions Master stopped in his tracks, and stood still as he continued speaking.

'There was a prophecy made. Months ago. Before he had found out about the child. The prophecy was made, and just as soon as spoken…was _leaked_.'

'By whom?' demanded Harry, his brow scrunched as the anger flashed in his emerald eyes. Harry paused to take a seat on a chair at the other end of the table, opposite Snape.

'Wormtail,' Severus replied, staring straight into the emerald eyes that belonged to Harry.

A few moments passed. Hermione slouched back in her seat, right arm propped on the arm of the chair, and put her head in her hand.

She did not look at Snape. She did not look at anyone for that matter.

'What did the prophecy say?' she asked softly.

Severus paused for a moment and looked at the ground. He then looked up at her, seeing her head in her hand.

'If he takes the child, you will follow,' he said, looking down at Hermione. 'You will not care, who or _what_ gets in your way. You will do anything..._anything_ to get your child back. He believes that you may be...turned, if swayed. And he believes that it may ultimately lead Potter to him...to his death. In short...he is using your feelings, your emotions against you. _Both of you_.''

Hermione drew back her hand from her head. She scowled, and turned her head towards Severus.

'Turned?' she asked, with a look of anger and disgust. 'What the hell does he mean, _turned_?' she probed, feeling the heat of her anger rise in her throat.

Severus looked at her, focusing on her tired and angry blood-shot eyes.

'A Death Eater, Miss Granger. He believes that you will do anything for your child...anything that he wishes, which undoubtedly includes serving him in return for something in your favor…' he added solemnly.

Harry sat up straight.

'Well, if you think that Hermione would ever join.._.them_, you're wrong,' he boldly stated, looking at his wife-to-be.

The Potions Master crept slowly towards Harry. With a scowl upon his face, he glared at Harry.

'Do not underestimate the Dark Lord, Potter. Most importantly, do not underestimate the mother of your child. You've seen her...you have seen what she is capable of, you've seen her lose control...' he added, looking sternly at Harry.

Harry stood up and faced Severus, standing just a few feet from the towering figure.

'She's strong. She's loyal...I would do anything to protect her! ' Harry shouted matter-of-factly.

'-And I am doing all in my power to protect you! The both of you!' Severus shouted, the anger boiling up inside of him.

He neared ever so closer to the Boy Who Lived, and with emotions and anger writhing inside, continued addressing Harry in the most deadliest of tones.

'You never did think, Potter, what could possibly happen if the two of you became involved, did you? And now the both of you have put yourselves in danger, and have endangered the lives of the people around you. Your arrogance, Potter, will be your undoing!' He bellowed, eyes narrowing to stare at the Boy Who Lived.

Really?' Harry shouted back, the veins in his neck starting to bulge as he continued to yell at the Potions Master. He quickly rose to stand, knocking his chair to the floor in back of him.

'Then why...why since you are _apparently_ on our side...why did you decide to protect us in the first place…if you are so _God damn_ angry with us, why even bother!?' Harry blurted, the words flying out of his mouth.

And without even thinking before letting the words seep forth, Severus Snape looked at Harry with the most deadly of looks, and replied:

'I cannot..._will not_ have history repeat itself! ' he shouted, still staring with hatred at Harry.

Hermione bent over slightly, feeling her eyes prickle with tears. She couldn't take the yelling. The anger. The hatred between Harry and Severus.

'_Please, just stop_…' she whispered, a barely audible command that was evidently not heard by Harry.

'-history repeat itself? I'm sure you'd know _loads _about that, wouldn't you _Professor_!?' Harry stated, face reddened and anger in his eyes as the Potions Professor and Gryffindor squared off, feet away from one another.

And all of a sudden, in a split second, Hermione felt her own anger boiling up inside of her, exploding in her chest. A familiar type of anger that ruptured and couldn't be controlled.

'JUST STOP IT!' Hermione screamed at no one in particular, pulling her head out of her hands, gripping the arms of her chair and unconsciously digging her nails in the faded wood.

A loud crash was heard, and Harry and Severus focused their attention towards a mound of shattered glass that lay scattered upon the countertop. Red apples that were once held in a beautiful wide crystal bowl, now danced upon the counter, some falling over the edge, rolling about the planks on the floor.

Hermione sat ever so still, eyes closed, her breathing rapidly, barely audibly. Both Harry and Severus paused and stared at the young girl. Though the girl warranted comfort, Harry stayed put, not daring to draw near towards Hermione. The look on his face was not one of worry, or concern.

It was _fright._

Harry stared at Hermione for a few seconds. Rather than continuing with an argument that would lead them nowhere, he instead spoke softly to the Potions Master, changing the subject ever so slightly for Hermione's sake.

'Was…wasn't it true that Wormtail died months ago?' asked Harry in a quiet voice.

The Potions Master scowled, and reached into his right hand pocket and withdrew a single corked vial, placing it directly in front of Harry, silently willing him to take it.

'-_And this is all that remains_,' he uttered in a low tone, staring at the vial.

At the sound of the glass hitting the wood table, Hermione picked her head up and looked at the vial, the contents a shimmery silver color, wisps like clouds swimming throughout. All of a sudden, it clicked.

This...this object right here, sitting on the shabby looking kitchen table in Number 12 Grimmauld Place... was indeed the prophecy. This vial sitting before her eyes, contained answers and revelations that they so desperately saught.

…But Hermione also had another thought brewing in her mind.

After all of this, after all that Severus had told them, after what she had done, wasn't it better to just let things be? Enough damage had been done; she and Harry heard what was needed to be heard. Why bother hearing or seeing any more?

After all, she thought, _ignorance is bliss_.

_Isn't it?_


End file.
